2019 World Athletics Championships – Women's 1500 metres explained

Event:Women's 1500 metres
Competition:2019 World Championships
Venue:Khalifa International Stadium
Dates:2 October (heats)
3 October (semi-final)
5 October (final)
Competitors:35
Nations:23
Win Value:3:51.95
Gold:Sifan Hassan
Goldnoc:NED
Silver:Faith Kipyegon
Silvernoc:KEN
Bronze:Gudaf Tsegay
Bronzenoc:ETH
Prev:2017
Next:2022

The women's 1500 metres at the 2019 World Athletics Championships was held at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, from 2 to 5 October 2019.[1]

Summary

Like the men, championship level women's 1500s also typically turn into strategic, sit and kick affairs. In 2017, strategic worked for Faith Kipyegon to leave the world record holder Genzebe Dibaba behind. Sifan Hassan was also left behind by that tactic. In 2019, she set the world record in the mile and had already won the 10,000 metres at these championships.

The final started inauspiciously enough, Gabriela DeBues-Stafford eventually found herself in the lead, Hassan dropped to the back of the pack. After 200 metres, Hassan moved out to lane 2 and moved forward around everyone into the lead. Kipyegon and Gudaf Tsegay moved in behind her to watch. Even with the slow start the first lap was 1:03.51. None of the chasing runners looked relaxed, most were working hard to stay up. Laura Muir and Jenny Simpson moved up toward the front. The second lap was 1:02.44. During the third lap, Muir positioned herself for the final lap, getting onto Kipyegon's shoulder coming onto the home stretch, then up to Hassan's just before the bell at 2:52.59. Muir stayed in position through the turn, Kipyegon and Tsegay behind her a gap forming behind. Hassan ran the third lap in 1:01.46, then looked back at Muir and took off sprinting. A big gap formed quickly, Kipyegon going around Muir in chase. Hassan kept looking back like a hunted animal being chased, but the gap continued to grow as did Kipyegon's separation from the next group of four; Muir, Tsegay, Shelby Houlihan with DeBues-Stafford trying to hold on. As Kipyegon saw hope was lost, she began to slow back toward the chasers. Houlihan moved to lane 2 to try to sprint past Tsegay, instead Tsegay pulled away gaining on Kipyegon. Hassan won by close to 15 metres. Kipyegon glided across the line for silver barely ahead of a rapidly closing Tsegay.

Hassan's time of 3:51.95, places her as the

  1. 6 runner in history
behind Dibaba and two infamous races in China in the 1990s. Well beaten, Kipyegon, Tsegay and Houlihan moved to #11, #13 and #15 on that list respectively. Even sixth place DeBues-Stafford ranks as #21. Hassan set the European record that had been held by Soviet Tatyana Kazankina for 39 years, Houlihan the North American record, Kipyegon the Kenyan record and DeBues-Stafford the Canadian record.

Records

Before the competition records were as follows:[2]

Record Athlete Date Location
World3:50.07Genzebe Dibaba Ethiopia17 Jul 2015Monaco
Championship3:58.52Tatyana Tomashova Russian Federation31 Aug 2003Paris, France
World leading3:55.30Sifan Hassan12 Jul 2019Monaco
African3:50.07Genzebe Dibaba Ethiopia17 Jul 2015Monaco
Asian3:50.46Qu Yunxia China11 Sep 1993Beijing, China
NACAC3:56.29Shannon Rowbury United States17 July 2015Monaco
South American4:05.67Letitia Vriesde Suriname31 Aug 1991Tokyo, Japan
European3:52.47Tatyana Kazankina Russian Federation31 Aug 1980Zürich, Switzerland
Oceanian4:00.86Linden Hall Australia26 May 2018Eugene, United States

The following records were established during the competition:

Schedule

The event schedule, in local time (UTC+3), is as follows:[3]

DateTimeRound
2 October 17:35 Heats
3 October 23:00 Semi-finals
5 October 20:55 Final

Results

Heats

The first six in each heat (Q) and the next six fastest (q) qualified for the semi-finals.[4]

Rank Heat Name Nationality Time Notes
1 1 4:03.88 Q
2 1 4:03.93 Q
3 1 4:04.00 Q
4 1 4:04.04 Q
5 1 4:04.18 Q
6 1 4:04.42 Q
7 1 4:05.61 q
8 1 4:06.61q,
9 1 4:06.99 q
10 3 4:07.27 Q
11 3 4:07.28 Q
12 3 4:07.37 Q
13 3 4:07.48 Q
14 1 4:07.73 q
15 3 4:07.76 Q
16 3 4:08.05 Q
17 3 4:08.12 q
18 3 4:08.19 q
19 2 4:08.32 Q
20 2 4:08.36 Q
21 2 4:08.39 Q
22 2 4:08.51 Q
23 3 4:08.56
24 2 4:08.71 Q
25 1 4:08.85
26 3 4:08.89
27 2 4:09.22 Q
28 3 4:09.45
29 2 4:09.81
30 2 4:11.10
31 2 4:12.36
32 2 4:12.51
33 2 4:14.94
34 2 4:23.56
35 3 4:28.27

Semi-finals

The first 5 in each heat (Q) and the next two fastest (q) qualified for the final.[5]

Rank Heat Name Nationality Time Notes
1 2 4:00.99 Q
2 2 4:01.04 Q
3 2 4:01.05 Q
4 2 4:01.12 Q
5 2 4:01.14 Q
6 2 4:01.30 q
7 2 4:01.52 q,
8 2 4:01.80
9 2 4:03.43
10 2 4:06.39
11 2 4:10.45
12 1 4:14.69 Q
13 1 4:14.91 Q
14 1 4:14.94 Q
15 1 4:14.98 Q
16 1 4:15.49 Q
17 1 4:15.73
18 1 4:16.56
19 1 4:16.66
20 2 4:16.83
21 1 4:17.04
22 1 4:17.15
23 1 4:17.65
24 1 4:18.25

Final

The final was started on 5 October at 20:55.[6]

Rank Name Nationality Time Notes
3:51.95 ,
3:54.22
3:54.38
4 3:54.99
5 3:55.76
6 3:56.12
7 3:58.20
8 3:58.42
9 3:59.93
10 4:00.15
11 4:00.63
12 4:06.68

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Start list.
  2. Web site: 1500 Metres Women − Records. IAAF. 27 September 2019.
  3. Web site: Women's 1500 Metres − Timetable. IAAF. 27 September 2019.
  4. Web site: Heats results.
  5. Web site: Semi-finals results.
  6. Web site: 1500 Metres Women − Final − Results. IAAF. 5 October 2019. 6 October 2019.