2010 World Indoors Day 1 Women's Report - 3,000, 800, 1,500 Heats
5 Out Of 6 American Women Make The Finals
By LetsRun.com
March 12, 2010
Hats off to the American distance and mid-distance runners, as 5 out of the 6 Americans advanced to the final on day 1 of the World Indoor Championships in Doha, Qatar. Anna Pierce won her heat of the 800 and even Desiree Davila managed to make the final of the 3,000. Erin Donohue and Sarah Bowman made the 1,500 final and Alysia Johnson made it 2 Americans in the 6-person 800m final. We recap the events below with results and links.
Women's 1,500 Semifinals - Gezahegne Falls But Gets Up To Win, Bowman And Donohue Make The Final
*Full Results
*IAAF Event Report
Heat 1 Of 2
Race co-favorite Gelete Burka of Ethiopia took the first heat in a fast finish. Burka won in 4:12 and right behind her were Anna Alminova of Russia and former Tennessee Volunteer star Sarah Bowman of the USA in her first major world senior competition representing the United States. Bowman nabbed an automatic qualifying spot, finishing a full second clear of 4th-placer Helen Clitheroe of Great Britain.
Bowman after her semifinal: "It felt good, smooth and relaxed. The bumping didn't affect me because I was just outside of it. I just tried to stay focused and run my race. This is my first senior team competition. I did juniors but this is different. I'm more aware of what's going on." (from USATF)
| Position | Bib | Athlete | Country | Mark | . |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 65 | Gelete Burka | ETH | 4:12.08 Q | . |
| 2 | 185 | Anna Alminova | RUS | 4:12.50 Q | . |
| 3 | 252 | Sarah Bowman | USA | 4:12.91 Q | (PB) |
| 4 | 81 | Helen Clitheroe | GBR | 4:13.97 q | . |
| 5 | 72 | Fanjanteino Félix | FRA | 4:14.62 | . |
| 6 | 144 | Irene Jelagat | KEN | 4:15.63 | . |
| 7 | 116 | Roseanne Galligan | IRL | 4:17.04 | . |
| 8 | 228 | Ulrika Johansson | SWE | 4:22.94 | . |
| . | 154 | Eliane Saholinirina | MAD | DNF |
Heat 2 Of 2
Ethiopian Kalkidan Gezahgne fell, got up, and not only made the final but won the second semifinal in the 1500m in 4:08.91. Spain's Natalia Rodriguez finished 2nd, running in her first World Championships since her controversial collision with Ethiopian 1,500m favorite Gelete Burka in the Berlin World Championships 1,500m final. American Erin Donohue ran well to set an indoor 1,500m PR 4:10.12 and qualified for the final.
Donohue after her semifinal: "It felt really good. I made my first international final. That was a big goal of mine and I can check it off my list now. I can't wait for the final. I'm really looking forward to it. It is an indoor PR, which looks good for things to come this outdoor season." (from USATF)
| Position | Bib | Athlete | Country | Mark | . |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 68 | Kalkidan Gezahegne | ETH | 4:08.91 Q | . |
| 2 | 61 | Natalia Rodríguez | ESP | 4:09.19 Q | . |
| 3 | 172 | Sylwia Ejdys | POL | 4:09.23 Q | . |
| 4 | 257 | Erin Donohue | USA | 4:10.12 q | (PB) |
| 5 | 10 | Natallia Kareiva | BLR | 4:12.91 q | . |
| 6 | 214 | Yevgeniya Zolotova | RUS | 4:15.33 | . |
| 7 | 117 | Kelly McNeice-Reid | IRL | 4:16.26 | . |
| 8 | 80 | Charlotte Best | GBR | 4:16.40 | . |
| 9 | 26 | Nicole Edwards | CAN | 4:16.46 |
Women's 800m Semifinals - Both Americans (Anna Pierce And Alysia Johnson) Make 6-Person Final
*IAAF Event Report
*Full Semifinal Results
American Anna Pierce bested the 8-woman semifinal by winning her heat coming from off the pace. There were no time qualifiers for the final from heat 1, so it was a good thing Pierce was able to kick.
| Position | Lane | Bib | Athlete | Country | Mark | . |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 280 | Anna Pierce | USA | 2:03.05 Q | . |
| 2 | 3 | 213 | Yevgeniya Zinurova | RUS | 2:03.44 Q | . |
| 3 | 4 | 53 | Lenka Masná | CZE | 2:03.59 | . |
| 4 | 2 | 155 | Halima Hachlaf | MAR | 2:03.81 | . |
| 5 | 5 | 240 | Yuliya Krevsun | UKR | 2:03.91 | . |
| 6 | 3 | 60 | Élian Périz | ESP | 2:04.71 | . |
| 7 | 5 | 90 | Victoria Griffiths | GBR | 2:04.90 | . |
| 8 | 6 | 142 | Viktoriya Yalovtseva | KAZ | 2:05.68 |
Heat 2 - World outdoor 800m medalist Jennifer Meadows of Great Britain saw the slow times in the first heat and knew all she needed was to finish in the top 4 of her heat and run under 2:03 and she'd get a spot in the 6-woman final on Sunday. Meadows led wire-to-wire and won in 2:00.39. In good news for the Americans, they will have 2 of the 6 finalists, as Alysia Johnson finished 3rd in 2:01.55 to make the final.
| Position | Lane | Bib | Athlete | Country | Mark | . |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 93 | Jennifer Meadows | GBR | 2:00.39 Q | . |
| 2 | 2 | 209 | Mariya Savinova | RUS | 2:00.95 Q | . |
| 3 | 6 | 266 | Alysia Johnson | USA | 2:01.55 q | . |
| 4 | 5 | 150 | Egle Balciünaité | LTU | 2:02.37 q | (PB) |
| 5 | 3 | 242 | Nataliia Lupu | UKR | 2:04.30 | . |
| 6 | 4 | 139 | Margarita Matsko | KAZ | 2:06.36 | . |
| . | 3 | 171 | Angelika Cichocka | POL | DQ | . |
| . | 1 | 123 | Elisa Cusma Piccione | ITA | DNS |
Women's 3,000m Semifinals - Hanson's Brooks Marathoner Desiree Davila Sets Huge PR And Makes The Final
*IAAF Event Report
*Full Results
*Event Sets Up For Meseret Defar
Heat 1 Of 2
Ethiopian Sentayehu Ejigu took a relatively slow first heat while race co-favorite Vivian Cheruiyot finished a slightly worrying 3rd (top 4 automatically advance). Los Angeles-based Barbara Parker, who ran for Florida State, was the first person out of the final, missing the 4th spot by just over one tenth of a second. American Sara Hall could not kick fast enough and finished well back in 9:04.
| Position | Bib | Athlete | Country | Mark | . |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 67 | Sentayehu Ejigu | ETH | 9:00.34 Q | . |
| 2 | 179 | Sara Moreira | POR | 9:01.01 Q | . |
| 3 | 143 | Vivian Cheruiyot | KEN | 9:01.35 Q | . |
| 4 | 184 | René Kalmer | RSA | 9:01.41 Q | (NR) |
| 5 | 94 | Barbara Parker | GBR | 9:01.52 | . |
| 6 | 173 | Renata Plis | POL | 9:02.68 | . |
| 7 | 251 | Sara Hall | USA | 9:04.25 | . |
| 8 | 212 | Yelena Zadorozhnaya | RUS | 9:09.52 | . |
| 9 | 118 | Hazel Murphy | IRL | 9:17.60 | . |
| 10 | 146 | Viktoriia Poliudina | KGZ | 9:30.76 | (NR) |
Heat 2 Of 2
Meseret Defar commanded the second heat and led the group to fast times to drag 8 of the 11 race starters through to the final. Among the qualifiers was 6th-placer Desiree Davila, a marathoner from the Hansons-Brooks group. Davila set a PR by 9 seconds in 8:51.08, a result that must absolutely thrill her and her sponsors (Davila was 11th at the Berlin World Championships marathon in 2009). Kenyan Sylvia Kibet will certainly be a medal contender, as expected, as she shadowed Defar home to finish 2nd.
Desiree Davila after her race: "It was a good race. After watching the first heat, it was set up perfect to go out and run a fast time and qualify for the final. And that's what I did. It was a big PR for me." (from USATF)
| Position | Bib | Athlete | Country | Mark | . |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 66 | Meseret Defar | ETH | 8:48.23 Q | . |
| 2 | 145 | Sylvia Jebiwott Kibet | KEN | 8:48.60 Q | . |
| 3 | 235 | Alemitu Bekele | TUR | 8:48.73 Q | (SB) |
| 4 | 3 | Layes Abdullayeva | AZE | 8:49.65 Q | (PB) |
| 5 | 177 | Jessica Augusto | POR | 8:50.81 q | . |
| 6 | 256 | Desireé Davila | USA | 8:51.08 q | (PB) |
| 7 | 170 | Lidia Chojecka | POL | 8:52.14 q | (SB) |
| 8 | 162 | Adrienne Herzog | NED | 8:53.24 q | (PB) |
| 9 | 180 | Ancuta Bobocel | ROU | 8:54.08 | (PB) |
| 10 | 115 | Deirdre Byrne | IRL | 8:58.94 | (PB) |
| 11 | 95 | Gemma Turtle | GBR | 9:17.55 |
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