From UW Athletic Communications:
MADISON, Wis. – After an 18th place finish in the 10,000 meters at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Wisconsin senior Mohammed Ahmed was looking for a better result the next time he ran on the international stage.
Ahmed achieved that goal at the 2013 IAAF World Championships in Moscow on Saturday, claiming ninth for Canada in a time of 27 minutes, 35.76 seconds.
“I was up there, top five for the last couple of laps,” Ahmed said. “I don’t even know how I got up there. I was just trying to stay up there with those guys. It was great to run that fast with that kind of surging at a championship.”
The finish marked the highest placing ever by a Canadian athlete in the 10,000 meters at the world championships. In addition, Ahmed’s ninth-place showing was the best by a Badger at the world games, as Matt Tegenkamp was 10th in 2011, and Tim Nelson finished 18th in 2009.
Great Britain’s Mo Farah, the 2012 Olympic champion, won the world title in 27:21.71. Ibrahim Jelian of Ethiopia, the defending champion who bested Farah at the 2011 world championships, was second in 27:22.23. Farah’s win snapped Ethiopia’s five-championship winning streak.
Heading into the meet, Ahmed said he worked on his speed and preparing for the pace of the race. The preparation paid off as Ahmed was in contention for a medal, as he surged into the top-five with four laps to go. He remained in the group of the top-five runners until about a lap to go.
“I came in here thinking I was world class, that everybody is beatable,” he said.
Ahmed will return to Wisconsin for his senior season of indoor and outdoor track in 2014.
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