'Double Z,' Ahmed shine at World Championships
August 29, 2015 | Men's Track & Field
Ziemek breaks 8,000 points in decathlon to finish 15th
BEIJING -- In his world championship debut, Wisconsin senior Zach Ziemek made the most of his chance on the international stage with a 15th-place finish in the decathlon at the 2015 IAAF World Championships on Saturday.
"Double Z" finished the 10-discipline event with 8,006 points, marking the second time in his career Ziemek has broken the 8,000-point barrier.
"To finish 15th and to score over 8,000 points in his first major global championship speaks volumes to his tremendous talent, toughness and pride," UW Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Mick Byrne said. "Zach represented the University of Wisconsin and the United States with such passion.
"Only 22 years old, this experience in Beijing will only help him as he looks ahead to his final collegiate season and to next year's U.S. Olympic Trials."
The fourth-youngest competitor in the field, Ziemek ranked second among collegiate competitors, as Georgia's Maicel Uibo of Estonia finished 10th with 8,245 points.
Ziemek also ranked second among Team USA athletes in the decathlon, as American Ashton Eaton won gold with a world-record score of 9,045 points.
"Double Z" began the second day with a time of 15.29 seconds in the 110 hurdles to gather 815 points.
In the discus, Ziemek ranked ninth among the competitors with a toss of 144-11.
One of Ziemek's best performances of the meet came in the decathlon pole vault, as the UW senior cleared 17-0 1/4. Only Belgium's Thomas Van der Plaetsen cleared a higher bar than Ziemek.
After a throw of 185-4 in the javelin, Ziemek ran a personal-best of 4:56.66 in the 1500 meters to conclude the decathlon.
Ziemek's 15th-place showing at the world meet follows his third-place effort at the 2015 USA Outdoor Championships where his personal-best score of 8,107 points was seven points above the 2016 Olympic "A" standard.
A native of Itasca, Illinois, Ziemek has one more season of indoor and outdoor track and field eligibility for Wisconsin after redshirting the 2015 indoor and outdoor track and field seasons.
Ahmed finishes 12th in 5000 meters
Former Wisconsin track and field and cross country star Mohammed Ahmed made Canadian history on Saturday morning, as his 12th-place showing in the final of the 5000 meters at the 2015 IAAF World Championships was the best-ever finish by a Canadian in the event.
Ahmed, a native of St. Catharines, Ontario finished the race in 14:00.38.
"It was fun watching his race with a few of his former teammates and to see the respect our guys have for what Mo is trying to do," Byrne said. "I'm sure that Mo would have preferred a more honest pace, but as always he will take something positive from the race that he can use next time he races."
The final started off at a slow pace, as the pack of 15 ran the first kilometer in 3:02.04. Things quickened in the ensuing laps, but the group was bunched together heading into the final 800 meters.
The race completely changed once the runners hit the 800-meter mark, as Kenya's Caleb Mwangangi Ndiku and Great Britain's Mohammed Farah broke away from the pack. Ndiku led Farah, the 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist in both the 5000 and 10,000 meters, until the 200-meter mark as Farah sprinted past Ndiku to win his second event in Beijing.
A 2012 Olympian in the 10,000 meters, Ahmed also competed in the 10,000 meters at the 2013 IAAF World Championships where he finished ninth.
