LRC: Preview of Women's 1,500m
by: LetsRun.com
August 17, 2008
Welcome to the 4th installment in our series of Olympic Track and Field previews. We give you extensive overviews of upcoming distance events, often accompanied by briefer looks at other events of interest. Following each event preview is a 2008 descending order list of the principal contenders and the American entrants, their lifetime bests (if different from 2008 best) and their results in individual events in Olympic Games and World Championships. More installments will follow as start lists are determined.
Installment 1
Installment 2
Installment 3
Women's 1,500m: The Door Swings Open
Monday, August 21, 7:00 AM (East Coast Time)
Overview
In the wake of the Russian doping scandal, which bounced three global champions with sub-3:57 personal bests out of the Olympic Games, the prospects are all the brighter for 2007 World Champion Maryam Yusuf Jamal
to add the Olympic title to her accomplishments, and the path is now
clear for several runners to contend strongly for a medal when a month ago,
they might have been happy with an appearance in the final. Jamal has
raced only twice this summer but won both times and has the year's
fastest time apart from the suspended Russians, a 3:59.99 clocking in
Paris, a Golden League meeting which featured most of the year's top
1,500m threats and served as a possible preview to the Olympic final.
She is a veteran of four global finals, earning two medals, has been
the World Athletics Final Champion three times and has the fastest
career best of any eligible competitors. The Bahraini enters the Games
as the favorite.
A number of runners with seasonal bests of 4:00-4:02 have undoubtedly
received an additional shot of enthusiasm with the disqualification of
the Russians.
Iryna Lishchynska (Ukraine) earned the bronze medal at last year's Worlds and Gelete Burka
(Ethiopia) garnered the bronze at this year's World Indoors,
establishing the pair as combat-proven veterans at the highest level.
Lishchynska bombed in her last outing, finishing over 8 seconds in
arrears of Jamal with a 10th-place 4:08.05 in Paris, but should
presumably be ready if healthy. Burka likewise had a sub-par showing in
the same event, looking flat and managing 4:05.25 for 7th, but the
Ethiopian has a sub-4:00 personal best and is strong through the rounds
in championship competition and should be in the medal picture.
Bulgarian Daniela Yordanova is a veteran of five
global championships, representing the most experience of any of the
principal players, sports a 3:59.10 PR, and ran strongly for 3rd in
Paris to beat many of her main rivals. She finished just off the medal
stand in the Osaka Worlds and is gunning for the podium in Beijing. Viola Kibiwot of Kenya is another finalist from the 2007 Worlds, while Australia's Sarah Jamieson and Great Britain's Lisa Dobriskey
were semifinalists. Jamieson finished ahead of Kibiwot, Burka and
Lishchynska in Paris and has run 4:02 twice this season. Dobriskey ran
4:00.67 in a mixed race (PR of 4:06.21 from 2006 in a women-only race)
and seems sharp.
The newest arrival to the global elite is American Shannon Rowbury,
who turned heads with a virtually solo 4:01.61 in mid-May and cruised
to victory at the US Olympic Trials. But she proved her intentions to
challenge for a medal when she ran with tactical savvy and fearless
authority in finishing second to Jamal in Paris with an eye-opening
4:00.33 clocking. She now stands 2nd on the yearly list (excluding the
suspended Russians) and is obviously unintimidated by the best in the
world. If she can handle the pressure, jostling and unexpected race
tactics of typical Olympic rounds, she clearly has the ability to grab a rare US
1,500m medal. The other American entrants, Christin Wurth-Thomas and Erin Donohue, appeared on the global stage in Osaka last year, with Donohue advancing to the semifinal round.
Picks
1.) Jamal 2.) Lishchynska 3.) Burka
Major Contenders
Maryam Yusuf Jamal (Bahrain) 2008 Best: 3:59.99 Lifetime Best: 3:56.18 (2006) Global Championship Highlights: 2007 World Champion, bronze medal in 2006 World Indoors, 4th in 2008 World Indoors, 5th in 2005 World Championships
Shannon Rowbury (USA) 2008 Best: 4:00.33 Global Championship Highlights: No prior appearances
Gelete Burka (Ethiopia) 2008 Best: 4:00.44 Lifetime Best: 3:59.60 (2005) Global Championship Highlights: Bronze medal in 2008 World Indoors, 8th in 2005 World Championships
Lisa Dobriskey (Great Britain) 2008 Best: 4:00.67 (mixed race) Global Championship Highlights: Semifinalist in 2007 World Championships, 10th in 3,000m in 2008 World Indoors
Iryna Lishchynska (Ukraine) 2008 Best: 4:01.61 Lifetime Best: 4:00.04 (2004) Global Championship Highlights: Bronze medal in 2007 World Championships, 5th in 2003 and 2006 World Indoors
Daniela Yordanova (Bulgaria) 2008 Best: 4:02.37 Lifetime Best: 3:59.10 (2004) Global Championship Highlights:
4th in 2007 World Championships, 4th in 2004 World Indoors, 5th in 2004
Olympics and 2008 World Indoors, 7th in 2003 World Championships
Sarah Jamieson (Australia) 2008 Best: 4:02.44 Lifetime Best: 4:00.93 (2006) Global Championship Highlights: Semifinalist in 2007 World Championships, eliminated in first rounds of 2000 and 2004 Olympics
Nancy Lagat (Kenya) 2008 Best: 4:03.80 Global Championship Highlights: No prior appearances
Viola Kibiwot (Kenya) 2008 Best: 4:04.17 Lifetime Best: 4:02.10 (2007) Global Championship Highlights: 6th in 2007 World Championships
Christin Wurth-Thomas (USA) 2008 Best: 4:04.88 Global Championship Highlights: Eliminated in first rounds of 2007 World Championships and 2008 World Indoors
Erin Donohue (USA) 2008 Best: 4:07.65 Lifetime Best: 4:05.55 (2007) Global Championship Highlights: Semifinalist in 2007 World Championships