News04 May 2011


Hot women's 800m and 1500m fields on tap in Eugene - Samsung Diamond League

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Another impressive race for Nancy Langat, this time in New York (© Victah Sailer)

Red hot fields in the women's 800 and 1500m promise scintillating battles at the 37th annual Prefontaine Classic on 4 June, the fourth stop on the 14-meeting Samsung Diamond League series.

In the 800m, the reigning World champion is back, and appears poised to assume the mantle of invincibility she displayed in her breakout 2009 season.

As an 18-year-old new to the world stage, South African Caster Semenya crushed the field in Berlin two years ago, winning the gold medal by over 2-seconds in 1:55.45. This season, Semenya will face the strongest field since those championships when she is challenged by an incredible field in Eugene.

Among the entrants in Kenyan Janeth Jepkosgei, the silver medallist from Berlin and 2007 World champions; 2010 US champion Alysia Johnson; reigning Olympic champion Pamel Jelimo of Kenya; Kenia Sinclair of Jamaica, the current world leader at 1:59.63; Jemma Simpson of Great Britain and the Oregno Track Club; and American Anna Pierce.

Last year, an extraordinary nine women broke two-minutes in the Prefontaine Classic 800m and a new meet record of 1:57.56 was set. Can lightning strike twice?

Hot women's 1500 field

“Strongest Pre Field Ever”. Get used to the phrase, as it certainly describes the make-up of this year’s 1500m. The field boasts seven of last year's leading metric milers. Among them:

Nancy Langat, 2008 Olympic gold medallist and Samsung Diamond Trophy winner in the event; Anna Alminova, 2010 Russian champion and fastest in the world; Gelete Burka, winner of the Lausanne Samsung Diamond League; Mimi Belete, Asian Games champion; Shannon Rowbury, U.S. Olympic Trials winner; Christin Wurth-Thomas, No. 2 ranked in U.S., and Nuria Fernandez, Spain’s European champion.

Samsung Diamond League for the IAAF

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