Women's 1,500 Semis: Surprise! All 3 Americans Advance - Kenyans Out

by: LetsRun.com
August 21, 2009
Berlin, Germany

American middle distance runners Anna Willard, Shannon Rowbury and Christin Wurth-Thomas matched the American men and booked three spots in the 12-woman 1,500m final to be run on the final day of the championships, Sunday, August 23.

Semi-Final #1 (2 Heats, Top 5 Advance Plus Next 2 Best Times)
Running in the first heat, an excited Wurth-Thomas ran exactly like she has during her excellent 2009 season - she went right to the front. She ran on the outside of Russian Natalya Evdokimova and they set a strong pace, passing 400m in 63.58. Opening in such a fast pace ended up helping the Russian the most as she would finish 6th but ran fast enough to get a time spot.

Wurth-Thomas ran strongly the entire way, running to the lead with 500m left in the race, leading the pack for the next 350m before finally being passed on the outside. She held on well for an automatic spot in the final.

Ethiopian-born Maryam Jamal, the world champion of 2007, won the heat looking very good as she has late in this season. Jamal runs for Bahrain.

The most significant casualty of the first heat was Kenyan Viola Kibiwot, who only managed 8th but missed the final by 0.33 seconds.

Wurth-Thomas was excited to make the final and said (interview below), "I'm excited. That's what it's all about. It was about me coming in, relaxing and having fun. Now, it's showtime." She said she went to the front because, "I don't get in trouble and I put myself into position."

LRC Semifinal #1 Splits
300m 46.6
700m 1:54.9 (68.3)
1,100m 3:00.9 (66.0)
1,500m 4:03.66 (62.7)

400m 63.58
800m 2:11.84 (68.26)
1,200m 3:16.45 (64.61)
1,500m 4:03.66 (47.21)

1	184	Maryam Yusuf Jamal	BRN	4:03.64 Q
2	312	Natalia Rodríguez	ESP	4:03.73 Q	(SB)
3	385	Lisa Dobriskey	GBR	4:03.84 Q
4	1041	Christin Wurth-Thomas	USA	4:04.16 Q
5	331	Kalkidan Gezahegne	ETH	4:04.75 Q
6	788	Natalya Evdokimova	RUS	4:04.93 q
7	706	Lidia Chojecka	POL	4:06.53 q
8	591	Viola Jelagat Kibiwot	KEN	4:06.88
9	307	Iris Fuentes-Pila	ESP	4:07.10
10	857	Sonja Roman	SLO	4:07.20
11	634	Btissam Lakhouad	MAR	4:08.72
12	941	Anna Mishchenko	UKR	4:11.02
13	623	Irina Krakoviak	LTU	4:12.54

Semifinal #2 - Rowbury And Willard Bring The Heat As Favorites Wilt
No runner was willing to push the pace in the second heat, meaning it would be unlikely any but the top 5 would advance to the final.

This spelled trouble for American Shannon Rowbury, who hasn't always had the best kick this season. For Anna Willard, her speed has been top-notch all year, so she was more safe.

But Willard, unlike Rowbury, moved all over the pack during the race. She went out near the front on the outside, got moved back to the end of the line, moved back up on the outside as far as five wide, and then was forced to wait on the inside in the final 200m. Confused? So are we.

We're even more shocked that despite all that, Willard roared up lane 1 in the closing 100m to easily get a spot in the final.

Rowbury, on the other hand, sat in the same spot the entire race. She was near the back on the rail. Unlike Willard, who rolled up the inside to the finish, Rowbury was boxed a bit but then rolled up on the outside, as the Americans were right behind co-favorite Gelete Burka of Ethiopia, who would win the heat, looking very good.

Before we take the American spots for granted, let's take a look at the women who failed to qualify out of this heat. First we'll mention Nancy Jebet Lagat, the 2008 Olympic champion at this distance. Okay, pretty good quality there. Lagat was struggling mightily to finish the race and took an incredibly hard fall as she dove across the line in seventh.

Next comes Russian Anna Alminova. She came in #2 in the world behind Jamal with a 3:58 seasonal best. Of course, her time was set in Russia in winning their championships. Oddly enough, only one Russian made the final this year and she barely snuck in after getting dropped in the first heat.

Next to miss the final is Ukranian Iryna Lishchynska, a perennial medal winner at these championships. She did not finish the race.

With the Americans performing so well and their principal rivals so blandly, it almost seemed like a shift in the balance of power was being played out.

The real balance of power won't be determined until the final and the medallists are determined. The American women are not content to merely occupy spots in the final as Anna Willard's comments showed afterwards. When asked about having to whether she was worried about having to move up in lane 1 and passing on the inside to make the final she said, "In the final, I'm not doing that because if you do that you squeak in and get third when I could have won." When asked if she thinks she can win the final she added, "Why enter a race if you don't want to win it, especially where I am right now (in my training)". Rowbury and Willard below.

LRC Semifinal #2 Splits
300m 49.8
700m 2:02.0 (72.2)
1,100m 3:09.56 (67.5)
1,500m 4:10.20 (60.6)

400m 67.41
800m 2:20.04 (72.63)
1,200m 3:25.03 (65.00)
1,500m 4:10.20 (45.17)

1	326	Gelete Burka	ETH	4:10.19 Q
2	630	Mariem Alaoui Selsouli	MAR	4:10.46 Q
3	1038	Anna Willard	USA	4:10.47 Q
4	1023	Shannon Rowbury	USA	4:10.51 Q
5	305	Nuria Fernández	ESP	4:10.64 Q
6	695	Nikki Hamblin	NZL	4:10.96
7	597	Nancy Jebet Langat	KEN	4:11.10
8	350	Hind Déhiba Chahyd	FRA	4:11.22
9	710	Sylwia Ejdys	POL	4:11.33
10	776	Anna Alminova	RUS	4:12.55
11	183	Mimi Belete	BRN	4:13.30
	937	Iryna Lishchynska	UKR	DNF
	321	Meskerem Assefa	ETH	DNS