Women’s Steeple Preview: The Top Three From Moscow, Chemos, Chekpkurui and Assefa, Battle It Out For the 2013 Diamond League Title
by LetsRun.com
September 5, 2013
In the women’s steeplechase at the 2013 IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Moscow, with Russia’s Yuliya Zaripova out with an injury, Kenya’s Milcah Chemos claimed Kenya’s first ever women’s steeplechase gold.
The silver medallist was previous 2013 world leader Lidya Chepkurui of Kenya and the bronze medallist was Ethiopia’s Sofia Assefa, who did a great job of rallying after a fall jeopardized her chances with 1.75 laps to go.
Would Assefa possibly have won gold had she not fallen?
We may find out on Friday as those three women, who were much better than everyone else in Moscow, will battle again on Friday in the Diamond League final in Brussels. The $40,000 DL season jackpot is on the line as well.
The finish in Moscow
Chemos and Chepkurui are tied for the DL lead so whoever beats the other one is your series winner assuming one of them is in the top two. Assefa can only win the jackpot if she wins the race and both Chemos and Chepkurui don’t finish in the top two, which isn’t out of the realm of possibilities.
After a season opening loss in Shanghai, Chemos had won all of her other races (Rome, Ostrava, Birmingham, Monaco, Nairobi and Moscow) but she lost to the fourth placer in Moscow, Hiwot Ayalew or Ethiopia, in Zagreb on Tuesday.
Will that loss serve as a wake-up call for Chemos or is she running out of steam at the end of the year?
Quick Take #1: After her big rally back into contention after her late fall in Moscow, we couldn’t believe how happy Assefa was to have won bronze. We feel most athletes would likely have been thinking they might have won gold without the fall but Assefa was all smiles after the race.
“I am very happy because I was number three for the first time (at Worlds). I was number three at the Olympics but never at the World Championships,” said Assefa.
When asked specifically if she would have won had she not fallen, Assefa said, “I don’t know, maybe number two because Chemos is very strong.”
One reason why Assefa likely didn’t think she’d win is that while she’s almost always top three, she hardly ever wins. She’s got one win in 15 steeples dating back to last year.
QT #2: Chepkurui and Assefa haven’t raced since Worlds.
QT #3: The full field is as follows:
| ATHLETE | DATE OF BIRTH | NATION | PB | SB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
29.04.1992
|
ETH
|
9:20.37
|
9:44.84
|
|
|
14.11.1987
|
ETH
|
9:09.00
|
9:12.84
|
|
|
06.03.1990
|
ETH
|
9:09.61
|
9:15.25
|
|
|
26.02.1986
|
KEN
|
9:07.14
|
9:11.65
|
|
|
23.08.1984
|
KEN
|
9:12.55
|
9:12.55
|
|
|
10.08.1990
|
KEN
|
9:28.04
|
9:28.04
|
|
|
10.05.1991
|
ETH
|
9:14.07
|
9:16.97
|
|
|
29.12.1983
|
MAR
|
9:31.03
|
9:35.88
|
|
|
31.12.1980
|
NED
|
9:42.91
|
9:42.91
|
|
|
15.10.1986
|
KEN
|
9:13.22
|
9:37.60
|
|
|
13.08.1991
|
KEN
|
9:19.42
|
9:19.42
|
|
|
25.11.1990
|
GBR
|
9:35.82
|
9:35.82
|
|
|
20.07.1993
|
KEN
|
9:59.06
|
9:59.06
|
|
|
20.03.1990
|
UKR
|
9:31.16
|
9:37.33
|
|
|
12.03.1983
|
UKR
|
9:27.26
|
9:32.26
|