Pamela Jelimo eases through her first-round heat in Beijing (© Getty Images)
2008 breakout sensation Pamela Jelimo made her eagerly anticipated Olympic debut, and she did it by barely breaking a sweat. No, not an easy task in the morning’s hot and humid conditions.
But the World junior record holder and fastest in the field at 1:54.97 did make her victory in the third of six opening round heats appear quite effortless. The 18-year-old clocked 2:03.18 to get her Olympic quest underway, just four months after taking up the event. Perhaps the most difficult aspect of the race for Jelimo, whose strong front-running is already a trademark, was to keep herself from running too fast.
Running just a step behind Kenia Sinclair of Jamaica and Croatian Vanja Perisic at the bell, Jelimo made her decisive move to the front just beyond the 600 metre point. Sinclair (2:03.76) held on for secod with Frenchwoman Elodie Guegan coming through for third in 2:03.85 to move on as well.
The fastest performance of the morning belonged to the woman Jelimo succeeded as African record holder, 2000 Olympic champion Maria Mutola. Contesting her sixth consecutive and final Olympic Games, the 35-year-old illustrated that she’s still very much a force to be reckoned with a solid performance in heat 4.
World indoor champion Tamsyn Lewis took early command and brought the field through the half in 57.93, with Neisha Bernard-Thomas and Slovak Lucia Klocova close on her heels. Mutola took a brief turn with the lead as the leaders entered the final turn, with Briton Marilyn Okoro moving to the front just a few strides later.
Mutola retook the front midway through the final stretch to reach the line in 1:58.91, with Okoro (1:59.01) and Klocova (1:59.42) advancing by right, and Lewis (1:59.67) and Bernard-Thomas (2:00.09) by time, the latter with a national record for Grenada.
Heat 6 went to Janeth Jepkosgei, whom Jelimo succeeded as gold medal favourite. Reminiscent of her races in Osaka last summer where she cruised to World championships gold, the 25-year-old Kenyan took the lead from the gun and went on to win comfortably in 1:59.72. In a blanket finish to collect the final two automatic qualifying spots, Tetiana Petlyuk of Ukraine (2:00.00) held off Slovenia’s Brigita Langerholc (2:00.13), with Egle Balciunaite of Lithuania (2:00.15) and Italian record holder Elisa Cusma Piccione (2:00.24) advancing to tomorrow’s semi-final as well.
Likewise, 2005 World champion Zulia Calatayud decided on a front-running approach with her victory in Heat 5. She edged fast closing Moraccan Hasna Benhassi, the reigning Olympic silver medallist, 2:00.34 to 3:00.51, with Ekaterina Kostetskaya (2:00.54) and Olga Cristea (2:00.59) of Moldova advancing as well.
Sviatlana Usovich of Belarus took the initial lead in Heat 2, controlling the tempo through a 58.53 first 400m. Yuliya Krevsun (2:00.21)of Ukraine moved up and into strong position as the field entered the backstretch, shadowed by Russian Tatiana Andrianova (2:00.31). With the pair en route to spots 1 and 2, Briton Jenny Meadows closed strongly to finish third (2:00.33) after passing the fading Usovich who manged to advance on time.
After running at the front from the outset, Russian Svetlana Klyuka easily fought off a small handful of challengers to win the opening heat in 2:01.67, with Colombian Rosibel Garcia (2:01.98) and Pole Anna Rostkowska (2:02.16) advancing as well.
The biggest casualty of the opening round was U.S. champion Hazel Clark, who after mixing with the leaders for about two-thirds of the fifth heat, faded badly down the stretch to finish fifth. Briton Jemma Simpson, fourth in Heat 1, was also left behind.
Bob Ramsak for the IAAF
