2013 Worlds 800m Women’s Final: Eunice Sum Surprises, Brenda Martinez Bronze, Agony of Defeat for Montano, Ajee Wilson American Junior Record
by: LetsRun.com
August 18, 2018
(Editor’s note: Below was our quick recap of the race. A final, more thorough recap appears here: Alysia Montaño Goes For It But Comes Up Agonizingly Short as Brenda Martinez Snags Bronze; Eunice Sum Stuns Mariya Savinova For Gold.)
Eunice Sum surprised a lot of people by winning the World title, World and Olympic champ Mariya Savinova got silver before the Russian crowd, and American Brenda Martinez picked up the bronze. Flash, flash recap and results.
This one went as expected until the final 100m. American Alysia Montano led onto the final straight. The field was coming up behind her and Montano could not hold on. When Sum went by, Montano turned her head, and tried to hang on for the medals.
Sum was clearly best and Savinova second. It was very tight for the bronze medal and American Brenda Martinez just overtook the fading Montano who fell to the track at the finish. American world junior champion Ajee Wilson was also a factor for the bronze, finishing only .30 from third in 6th in a new American junior record of 1:58.21 as 3-4-5-6 were .30 apart.
Montano was in tears on the track after the finish and the youngster Wilson tried to console here. Coming through the media area roughly fifteen minutes after the race, Montano was still in tears. Martinez did not know she had won bronze until it came up on the screen and then she burst into tears of joy. .04 seconds is all that separated them.
Quick, quick Thoughts.
1) Brenda Martinez 800m Bronze Medallist
At the start of the year not a lot of people would have said Martinez was the third best 800m runner in America. Now she’s the Worlds bronze medallist.
2) Martinez Ended Up With Joe Vigil Because Two Other Training Groups Turned Her Down
After the race, Martinez said the final 100m she was thinking of her coach Joe Vigil and digging deep because of him. Video interview coming later with her. We asked Martinez how she ended up with Coach Vigil and she said it was because two US groups did not let her in their training group believing she wasn’t good enough. So she found Vigil. She’s clearly very good and has loftier goals. She said coach Vigil talks “1:55 (for 800) and 3:55 (for 1500) ” with her.
3) The Agony of Defeat for Montano
What heartbreak. Montano’s front running style has not worked out for her in the finals of global championships and it’s the most painful way to come up short. She was 4th in Daegu, 5th in London and now 4th here. Unbelievably close three straight years. She was sobbing after the race in the mixed zone, yet still answered questions like the professional she is.
4) Ajee Wilson 1:58.21!
What a run by Wilson. The youngster ran her best when it counted the most. So much for her being tired by a long season. We heard one journalists predicting incredible things for her in Rio, but let’s just enjoy this one first.
Results
| 1 | Eunice Jepkoech SUM |  KEN |
1:57.38 | PB | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Mariya SAVINOVA |  RUS |
1:57.80 | SB | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Brenda MARTINEZ |  USA |
1:57.91 | PB | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Alysia JOHNSON MONTANO | USA |
1:57.95 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Ekaterina POISTOGOVA | RUS |
1:58.05 | SB | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Ajee WILSON | USA |
1:58.21 | PB | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Nataliia LUPU |  UKR |
1:59.79 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Lenka MASNÁ |  CZE |
2:00.59 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SPLITS | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 400m | Alysia JOHNSON MONTANO | USA |
56.06 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
More coverage coming.
Get all of our Women’s 800m coverage in our Women’s 800m Worlds Special Page.
