Pamela Jelimo sets a competition record to win the 800m in Stuttgart (© Getty Images)
Pamela Jelimo added a further $30,000 to add to the cool $1m she won for scooping this season's Golden League Jackpot which is not bad work for the 18-year-old Kenyan who only started running 800m seriously this season.
Yes, 2008 has been Jelimo's year. This was her 12th win out of 12 finals and she once again demonstrated her superiority over the rest of the world by cruising to victory in a meeting record of 1:56.41 to add the World Athletics Final to the Olympic title she took in style last month.
Behind Jelimo, her countrywoman Janeth Jepkosgei, the 2007 winner, edged a close-fought battle for second in 1:58.41 with Great Britain's Marilyn Okoro a further 0.23 back, finishing third for a second successive year.
Okoro, who was disappointed to exit the semi-finals of the 800m at the Olympic Games, took the field through the bell in 59.08 a stride clear of Jelimo, who preferred to play the waiting game rather than her usual all-out attacking style.
Jelimo's patience, however, ran out with 350m to go as she blasted to the front and by the midway point of the backstretch had opened up a decisive seven-metre lead on Okoro.
The rest of the race was purely another demonstration of Jelimo's brilliance as crossed the line in 1:56.41 (a huge negative split) - 1.36 seconds below the former meeting record held by Jepkosgei from 12 months ago.
Jepkosgei herself had edged ahead of Okoro down the home straight and held on to take second from the British athlete. Jamaica's Kenia Sinclair was the only other woman to dip below 2:00, recording 1:58.85 for fourth.
Jelimo was understandbly delighted to end her season on yet another high and sounded an ominous warning for her opposition.
"I guess that I have even more talent than I showed in 2008, said Jelimo. "In 2009 I want to continue exploring my talents and run even faster."
Steve Landells for the IAAF
