The men’s 1500m final was one for the ages, although not in the way you might expect.

The gold medal was won in a time of 3:50.00, the slowest time since 1932, and the last time there was a US winner at this distance in the Olympics was back in 1908.

However, that will all be irrelevant, and rightly so, to Matt Centrowicz.

The two-time World Championships medallist, with a bronze in 2011 and silver in 2013, completed his collection of medals from outdoor global championships after controlling the race almost from the gun and repelling all the attacks from his rivals, especially over the final 250 metres.

"There's nothing like it, it doesn't compare to anything else I've won in my life," said Centrowitz. "Doing my victory lap, I literally kept screaming to everyone I know, 'Are you kidding me?'"

Centrowitz, surprisingly to many still only 26, towed the field through the first 400m in a sedentary 66.83 and then an even slower second lap of 69.76.

The entire field was still tightly bunched together at this point and there was no surprise that, with all the contact and jockeying for position, there was a faller. The unfortunate runner to take a tumble was the highly-rated Kenyan Ronald Kwemoi, who tripped and fell just before the runners passed the two laps to go infield display.

Kwemoi tumbles

Kwemoi, the world U20 record-holder and still only 20, picked himself up quickly and tagged himself on to the back of the pack within the space of 40 metres – evidence of how slow they were going – but he eventually trudged in 12th and last.

After a brief stint in the lead by Djibouti’s Ayanleh Souleiman, Centrowitz got back in front again with little more than 300 metres remaining.

Behind him, three-time world champion and world leader Asbel Kiprop was starting to move up quickly down the back straight, having hung at the back of the pack and staying out of danger for nearly the whole race.

Also hovering around at the front was the defending champion from London four years ago, Algeria’s Taoufik Makhloufi, but Centrowitz could not be budged from pole position.

The world indoor champion went through several gears around the final bend and down the home straight, and not even noted fast finishers such as Kiprop and Makhloufi could get on his shoulder as the US runner cranked up the pace.

He uncorked a 50.62 last lap to take the gold medal as Makhloufi finished fast to take the silver just 0.11 behind. New Zealand’s 2008 Olympic silver medallist Nick Willis surprised many by kicking hard to take the bronze in 3:50.24 and edge out Souleiman, as Kiprop inexplicably faded over the final 80 metres and finished sixth.

Phil Minshull for the IAAF

The last two Olympic champions, Asbel Kiprop and Taoufik Makhloufi, qualified with ease for Saturday’s final from the first of two semi-finals which followed the stereotype for championships middle-distance racing at this level of a major championship.

The first race saw Ethiopia’s Dawit Wolde and then Morocco’s Brahim Kaazouzi lead during the early stages of the race, the latter taking the field through to 800m in 2:03.86 with Kiprop loping along at the back looking very relaxed

Bahrain’s Benson Seurei darted to the front about 60 metres before bell and suddenly the pace jumped into a much faster gear.

Seurei held the lead until midway down the back straight for the last time, when Kiprop glided into pole position after gradually working his way forward over the previous 150 metres.

The 2008 Olympic champion, and three-time world champion, looked superbly comfortable at the front before crossing the line in 3:39.73 but there was an enthralling battle behind his to work out who would take the remaining four automatic qualifying places.

As we have seen so often, Makhloufi can accelerate over the final 100 metres or so of a middle-distance race like few of his peers and he came through to finish second just 0.15 behind Kiprop, just edging out New Zealand’s 20008 Olympic silver medallist Nick Willis, who was third in 3:39.96.

USA’s Ben Blenkenship and Great Britain’s Charlie Grice took fourth and fifth place in what was essentially a seven-man sprint for the line.

The second semi-final followed a similar pattern.

Uganda’s Ronald Musagala took the field through the majority of the first half of the race before passing 800m in 2:03.59, very marginally faster than the first semi-final.

Ayanlah Souleiman shortly afterwards moved his way to the front and Djibouti’s 2014 world indoor champion was still ahead at the bell and then as they entered the back straight for the last time.

Down the back straight, Kenya’s Ronald Kwemoi challenged and then went past Souleiman in the home straight and the USA’s two-time world championships medallist Matt Centrowicz also duelled with the two East Africans down the home straight.

Kwemoi crossed the line in 3:39.42 – running close to 52 seconds for the last lap as the official results, with Souleiman in the lead, gave the final 400m split as 52.53 – with Souleiman 0.04 further back and Centrowitz taking third in 3:39.61.

Australia’s Ryan Gregson and USA’s Robby Andrews took fourth and fifth places, the latter giving USA a trio of runners in the final, but early pacemaker Musagala’s sixth place in 3:40.37 was not quite quick enough to see him progress as one of the two non-automatic qualifiers with Morocco’s London 2012 Olympic Games bronze medallist Abdelaati Iguider and Canada’s Nate Brannen going through to the final on time.  

Kenya’s IAAF World Championships Beijing 2015 silver medallist Elijah Manangoi did not start the second semi-final for an unstated reason.

Phil Minshull for the IAAF

Three-time world champion and 2008 Olympic gold medallist Asbel Kiprop progressed smoothly to Thursday’s 1500m semi-finals with a comfortable win in the first heat on Tuesday.

Kiprop lingered towards the back of the leading pack for much of the race, as France’s Florian Carvalho made the pace through to 900 metres, but then started to ease past his rivals with 300 metres to go.

With the race passing though 1200 metres in 2:57.68, this pace was well within Kiprop’s comfort zone.

He was third going into the final bend and then his long, almost languid, stride took him into the lead and he managed to repel all challenges down the home straight.

In truth, with the first six to go through, nobody who could be a serious challenger was challenging too hard, but Kiprop’s performance was still a confident display of running.

Australia’s Ryan Gregson took second in 3:39.13, Djibouti’s 2014 world indoor champion Ayanleh Souleiman was third in 3:39.25, just 0.01 ahead of Great Britain’s Chris O’Hare while USA’s two-time World Championships medallist Matt Centrowicz was equally assured when needing only to exert himself a little bit over the final 50 metres to get fifth place.

The second heat was less straightforward in the manner of its delivery and its outcome.

World silver medallist Elijah Manangoi from Kenya led from almost the gun to tape, controlling the pace as he wished in a much slower heat than the first one. In the end he was just pipped by 2012 Olympic champion Taoufik Makhloufi, who eased through in the final two metres to secure the win, the Algerian back on the track barely 12 hours after winning the 800m silver medal in Rio.

Makhloufi won in 3:46.82 with Manangoi just 0.01 in arrears.

Ingebrigtsen in trouble

USA’s Robby Andrews had to work hard down the home straight but finished third in the traditional first-round heat mass sprint for the line, clocking 3:46.97.

Behind the leading trio though there was a modicum of controversy.

Norway’s European champion Filip Ingebrigtsen was waging a physical battle in the middle of the leading pack during some of the race and, after he had finished in fifth place, he was judged to have impeded Charlie Grice and Homiyu Tesfaye. 

Ingebrigtsen was subsequently disqualified follwoing seperate protests by the Geat Britain and Germany teams, and both Grice and Tesfaye were advanced to the semi-finals despite having finished outside of the top six.

Knowing what was required to advance as one of the fastest non-automatic qualifiers, not surprisingly the third heat was faster. In terms of the way it unfolded, it was similar to the previous heats with a large group still in contention at the bell and content to just sprint for the line coming off the final bend.

Czech Republic’s Jakub Holusa, who is hard to beat in races at this speed owing to his sprint abilities, won in 3:38.31 with Kenya’s highly rated 20-year-old Ronald Kwemoi just 0.02 behind and Morocco’s world bronze medallist Abdalaati Iguider third a further 0.07 back.

Norway's 2012 European 1500m champion Henrik Ingebrigtsen, unaware of the debate about his younger brother’s actions in the previous heat, secured his own place in the semi-finals in fifth place, just in front of 2008 Olympic silver medallist Nick Willis from New Zealand.

Being the quickest heat, the next four men across the line progressed as non-automatic qualifiers but Turkey’s 2012 world indoor silver medallist Ilham Tanui Ozbilen looked far from his best form and could only finish 12th and was eliminated.

Phil Minshull for the IAAF