Leipzig start for World Indoor 1500m champion Mekonnen

Ethiopiaʼs World Indoor 1500m champion Derese Mekonnen is the headline signing of the 2009 Erdgas Leipzig indoor meeting in Leipzig, Germany on Sunday (1 February).

The 21-year-old surprised many last year when he won 1500m gold at the 2008 World Indoor Championships in Valencia, Spain, to become only the third Ethiopian after Haile Gebrselassie and Kutre Dulecha to win a World title at events shorter than the 1500m.

However, Mekonnen will be eager to return back to winning ways after a mixed 2008 outdoor season. Although he did improve his outdoor best at the event to 3:33.71 in Milan last year, Mekonnen could only finish fourth in the 16th CAA African Athletics Championships on home soil and was eliminated in the semi-final stage at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Apart from chasing victory against Kenyan Vickson Polonet (PB 3:36.45) and the Czech Republicʼs Michael Sneberger (PB 3:36.50) in Leipzig, Mekonnen (PB 3:35.51) will also try to become only the second Ethiopian to run under 3:35 for the indoor 1500m. Haile Gebrselassie, who won the 1999 World Indoor 1500m title, is the only Ethiopian to achieve this feat with five performances under 3.35 including his 3:31.76 national record.

Elshadai Negash for the IAAF