by Larry EderThe women’s 1,500 meters was an exciting race: great battles, a grueling last 300 meters and an exciting fight for the World Championship medals. The women’s 1,500 meters is our RunBlogRun Event of Day Five.
The truth be told, each day has had several fantastic races and events, and we have picked events that we truly enjoyed from our vantage point in the Luzhniki Stadium.
Abeba Aregawi, Jennifer Simpson, Hellen Obiri, Moscow 2013, 1,500 meters,
photo by PhotoRun.net
The women’s 1,500 meters showed once again how the sport of women’s distance running has grown. Not only were the top four from new and old sports powers, they were from three continents: Abeba Aregawi competes for Sweden, Jenny Simpson competes for the US, Hellen Obiri competes for Kenya and Hannah England competes for Great Britain.
Jenny Simpson led most of the race, hitting the 400m in 65.73, 800m in 2:13.79 and 1,100 meters in 3:03.06. Abeba Aregawi took the lead for good, with 300 meters to go. Aregawi, as she won the European Indoors in March and won many of the Diamond League events this past summer, drove for home from the 300 meter mark. Jenny Simpson did not let up and neither did Hellen Obiri.
Hannah England, who had a rough 2012, after having taken silver in 2011 World Championships, finished fourth, capturing that position at the finish line. Hellen Obiri finished third, giving Kenya the bronze medal. Jenny Simpson won her second World Championship medal, this time silver, giving her two World Championships medals and making her the most medaled American women miler of all times.
Abeba Aregawi added this gold to her European Indoor gold for her adopted country of Sweden. And in tenth place, seventeen year old Mary Cain had her first experience on the global stage.
Something tells me that we will see her for many more World Championships to come.
