Doha (AFP)

A last 400 m of madness, and the controversy is gone for a round: by crushing the 1,500 m of the World Cups of Doha (Qatar), a week after the 10,000 m, the Dutch Sifan Hassan puts back on the carpet the doubt born of the suspension of his coach Alberto Salazar by anti-doping.

So the harvest continues for the Nike Oregon Project (NOP): after the titles of Hassan a week ago on 10,000 m and the American Donava Brazier Tuesday on 800 m, Hassan has recurred Saturday after a 1.500 m impressive.

A few minutes after Hassan, Germany's Konstanze Klosterhalfen (22), also a member of the "NOP", finished 3rd in the 5,000m for her first world medal.

In the medal standings, Nike Oregon Project would be ranked 4th if it were a country, in front of athletic nations like Great Britain or Jamaica.

However, there are only seven athletes present in Doha, whose harvest may not be over: the American Craig Engels dispute Sunday the final of 1,500 m.

The problem? A veil of doubt surrounds the small elite structure of the northwestern United States, funded by the Nike equipment manufacturer, since his mastermind Alberto Salazar was suspended four years Tuesday by the US Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) .

Known for his die-hard side and his exploration of the limits of the rules, the man who led British star Mo Farah to success (four Olympic titles) was suspended for "organizing and inciting banned doping conduct" on term of six years of investigation.

The decision also embarrassed the all-powerful firm Nike, with Usada ensuring that its CEO Mark Parker was aware of experiments with testosterone. Nike has since ensured that it has "not taken part in any initiative aimed at systematically boosting athletes".

In its decision, however, Usada stresses that Salazar "does not appear to have been motivated by the intention to commit the violations of rules found by the committee". Above all, none of his athletes has ever been tested positive.

But "his desire obscured his judgment of respect for the rule," Usada said.

- Last amazing tour -

Obscured, like in spite of the performance of Sifan Hassan Saturday, and this last tour hallucinating during the 1,500 m. Very quickly at the head of the race, the tiny Dutch girl (1.70 m, 49 kg) with amazing arm movement impressed a hell of a pace before carrying off the thrust without any of her competitors ever being able to to counter it.

Result: it was largely imposed with a delirious time for a league (run without hare unlike rallies) 3 min 51 sec 95, the league record, allowing him to become the 6th best performer of all time.

And behind, the others were not idle: the reigning Kenyan world champion Faith Kipyegon finished 2nd in 3 min 54 sec 22, improving her national record, and the Ethiopian Gudaf Tsegay 3rd in 3 min 54 sec 38, a new personal best.

In this race of an exceptional level, the American Shelby Houlihan finished 4th in 3: 54.99, a new record of North America yet insufficient to get on the podium.

For its part, to validate its first world podium on 5,000 m, the German Konstanze Klosterhalfen (14: 28.43) tried to follow to the end the two Kenyan Hellen Obiri (14: 26.72) and Margeret Chelimo Kipkemboi (14: 27.49) ).

© 2019 AFP