1500m winner Dawit Seyaum at the IAAF World Junior Championships, Oregon 2014 (© Getty Images)
Dawit Seyaum became the fourth Ethiopian woman to win the 1500m at the World Junior Championships and she did in convincing fashion with 4:09.86.
The only female junior athlete to have run the distance faster than four minutes this year led the first 1-2 for Ethiopia in the 1500m in the history of the championships as her countrywoman Gudaf Tsegay finished second with 4:10.83.
Kenya’s Sheila Chepngetich ran a personal best of 4:11.21 to earn the bronze medal.
Tsegay, Seyaum and 2013 world youth bronze medallist Alexa Efraimson of the US shared the lead and took all finalists in a compact group through the first lap in 1:08.96 and 800m in 2:17.13. As they entered the home stretch, the Ethiopian duo upped the pace and Seyaum move to the lead just before the bell.
World youth silver medallist Seyaum covered the last lap in 61 seconds and held off her countrywoman to secure her first global title, ahead of Tsegay and Chepngetich.
Efraimson stayed in contact with the Kenyan as they entered the homestretch, but she faded and was overtaken by her countrywoman Elise Cranny and Poland’s Sofia Ennaoui.
With the gold and silver, Ethiopia moved up to the third place in the medal tally.
Javier Clavelo Robinson for the IAAF
