Kipketer Runs Season-Best 800

Running under a heavy downpour, Wilson Kipketer clocked 1 minute, 43.54 seconds over 800 meters to set a season best, one of several recorded at the IAAF Golden Gala Grand Prix meet in Rome.

After the rain stopped, Daniel Komen matched Kipketer’s double feat - meet and season bests - and outdueled Salah Hissou over the final lap to capture the 5,000 in a swift 12:48.98.

On the women’s side, 20-year-old Kenyan Lidia Cheromei was unchallenged in taking the 5,000 in a season’s best time of 14:49.37.

Michael Johnson, the world and Olympic champion in the 200 and 400 meters, will not compete in next week’s U.S. Outdoor Track and Field Championships because of a left quadriceps injury.

After his 150-meter match race against Donovan Bailey on Sunday at Toronto, Johnson’s coach, Clyde Hart, said the U.S. star was “extremely doubtful” for the national championships, the qualifying meet for the U.S. team for the World Championships in Greece in August.