I was asked on Tuesday what Laura Muir could have done differently to win the 1,500 meters. I corrected that and said, I was hoping she could have won a medal. The pace, lead by Laura, hit 65 seconds for the 400 meters, but the 800 meters dropped to a 72 second 400 meters, with a time of 2:17. Hitting the bell in 3:03.5, Sifan Hassan took the lead, with Faith Kipyegon, Laura Muir and Jenny Simpson in tow. Everyone gave up on Caster Semenya, forgetting that she was an 800 meter runner.
No one was going to beat Faith Kipyegon, as she battled Sifan Hassan until the final straightaway. Hassan began to fold, and Faith Kipyegon took the lead. Laura Muir moved out a bit, giving Jenny Simpson the breathing room to move on the inside, a la Steve Ovett, the fine British runner who knew how to move when things got crowded.
But it was Jenny Simpson, who in 2009 took fifth in the steeplechase, in 2011, won the 1,500 meters, in 2013, took the silver and in 2015, without a shoe was hobbled. In 2012, Simpson was in the dirtiest 1,500 meters for women in history, and in 2016, Jenny took bronze. This year, Simpson, who does not screw up last laps, moved on the inside and pushed from fifth to second! It was Caster Semenya who caught Laura Muir in the last 30 meters, and moved into the bronze, leaving Laura Muir in fourth place. Truth is, Laura Muir ran a brilliant race, she just did not get a medal. She will get them in the future.