Women’s 800: Eunice Sum Keeps Her Undefeated Streak Going As Ajee Wilson Gets Season’s Best
by LetsRun.com
June 11, 2014
World Champion Eunice Sum continued her winning ways picking up the win at the 2014 ExxonMobil Bislett Games in Oslo today in 1:59.02. In second and third, both going sub 2:00 for the first time in 2014, were 20-year-old American Ajee Wilson, second in 1:59.68 and 19-year-old Brit Jessica Judd, third in 1:59.77.
American Worlds bronze medallist, Brenda Martinez, coming off her 1:59.24 season’s best win in Hengelo three days ago, was a non factor here fading to 10th 2:02:27. Former World Champ Caster Semenya was last in 2:03.68.
Once the rabbit Selma Kajan (57.45) dropped out, this was all Eunice Sum. Halfway down the backstretch, Sum was in front and had a slight gap on the field which was bunched behind her, some three wide, fighting for position. They’d never catch up. Sum was never challenged and her 1:59.02 was a season’s best as the top four all ran season’s bests.
Quick Take #1: Eunice Sum keeps her 800 winning streak going as she’s now won 7 straight 800s this year including three Diamond League races.
In fact, Sum has not crossed the finish line second in an 800 since the Kenyan National Championships in June 2013. Since then (including heats at Worlds) she’s won 11-races straight (13 including the heats at Worlds) and was never really threatened today.
QT #2: Not a good day for Brenda Martinez.
Getting the win in Hengelo in 1:59.24 three days ago was nice, but did that take something out of her here tonight?
QT #3: Ajee Wilson gets a strong runner-up finish in a season’s best 1:59.68 (her PB is 1:58.21).
She closed well in the last 100 to win the battle against Judd just before the line. Wilson has raced a ton this year as she has 14 races in 2014, but always seems to peak well. Last year she ran her first sub-2 at US Champs and then ran her 1:58 final in the World Champs final. Can’t time your peak much better than that.
QT#4: UK’s 19-year-old Jessica Judd gets the second sub-2 of her career as she broke her previous PR of 1:59.85.
She was ecstatic after the race talking to the BBC.
QT #5: Caster Semenya was again a disappointment finishing DFL in 2:03.68, although this is still a huge improvement over the 2:06.35 she ran 3-days ago in Hengelo.
This pretty much seals the deal on her not making the Commonwealth Games as she was trying to make a last-ditch effort to get a fast time after the South African deadline had already passed, but this isn’t even a SB.
Results and more photos below:
RANK | ATHLETE | NATION | RESULT | DIAMOND POINTS | DIAMOND RANKING | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1
|
KEN
|
1:59.02
|
SB
|
12
|
1
|
||
2
|
USA
|
1:59.68
|
SB
|
3
|
2
|
||
3
|
GBR
|
1:59.77
|
PB
|
1
|
5
|
||
4
|
KEN
|
2:00.20
|
SB
|
||||
5
|
POL
|
2:00.43
|
|||||
6
|
USA
|
2:00.79
|
|||||
7
|
KEN
|
2:00.95
|
PB
|
||||
8
|
CAN
|
2:01.06
|
|||||
9
|
NOR
|
2:02.23
|
|||||
10
|
USA
|
2:02.27
|
|||||
11
|
MAR
|
2:02.33
|
|||||
12
|
RSA
|
2:03.68
|
|||||
AUS
|
DNF
|