Maryam Yusuf Jamal runs a world leading time in the 1500m, her ninth sub-four-minute clocking (© Getty Images)
Defending champion Maryam Jamal is bidding to become only the second woman in history to mount a successful defence of this title and all the portents look good after she has enjoyed a red-hot summer.
The Bahraini athlete disappointed at last summer’s Olympic Games, trailing home fifth after she was struck by an untimely illness, but this season she had won four out of her five 1500m races and heads the World Lists with a stunning 3:56.55 win in Rome – her second fastest ever time. She has since backed this up by out-kicking Ethiopia Gelete Burka – who many view as her main rival for gold in Berlin - to win in Monaco and few would back against her retaining her title.
Burka is the only athlete to have defeated Jamal this season – beating her in Lausanne in early July. The versatile Ethiopian posted a lifetime best of 3:58.79 in Hengelo and her only 1500m defeat this season came at the hands of Jamal in Monaco.
Burka, a former World short course Cross Country champion, also possesses strength in abundance and will not be fazed by the rounds of the 1500m.
Outside of the leading pair Russian Anna Alminova has emerged as a strong challenger this year. She made a huge impact on the boards this winter sweeping to the gold medal over 1500m at the European Indoor Championships and has maintained this form outdoors. She was twice outgunned by Burka during early June but her lifetime best performance of 3:58.38 to land the Russian title (for second on the World Lists) marks her out as one to watch.
Alminova’s teammates Natalya Evdokimova (3:59.66) and Oksana Zbrozhek (4:00.86) also swept to PBs at the National championships and will form a powerful three-pronged Russian assault.
The USA have enjoyed a genuine renaissance in the middle-distances this season and all three women in this event will be confident of making a huge impact.
The fastest of the three US athletes this season is Christin Wurth-Thomas, who at the age of 29 is enjoying the best season of her life. She dipped below 4:00 for the first time in her career in Rome with 3:59.93 to finish runner-up behind Jamal - a performance which marks her out as a genuine contender.
Anna Willard finished tenth in the 3000m Steeplechase at the Beijing Olympic last summer but has been transformed into a world-class middle-distance runner this season. Willard set a personal best of 4:01.44 in Eugene in early June and finished third at the US Champs later that month. She was a winner over the metric mile in London and finished a respectable fourth place – behind Jamal and Burka – in Monaco.
Since winning the US title Shannon Rowbury, who finished 7th at last year’s Olympics Games, has had a quiet competitive programme, although runner-up spots in London and Stockholm offer encouragement for her hopes in Berlin.
The Olympic champion Nancy Lagat has been out of sorts this summer and with a best time of 4:05.05 for eighth in Eugene it is hard to see the Kenyan adding the World title to her name.
Other names to watch out for: Morocco’s Mariem Alaoui Selsouli (4:00.95), Slovenia’s Sonja Roman (4:02.13), Great Britain’s Lisa Dobriskey (4:02.28) and Nuria Fernandez of Spain (4:02.43).
Steve Landells for the IAAF
The Bahraini athlete disappointed at last summer’s Olympic Games, trailing home fifth after she was struck by an untimely illness, but this season she had won four out of her five 1500m races and heads the World Lists with a stunning 3:56.55 win in Rome – her second fastest ever time. She has since backed this up by out-kicking Ethiopia Gelete Burka – who many view as her main rival for gold in Berlin - to win in Monaco and few would back against her retaining her title.
Burka is the only athlete to have defeated Jamal this season – beating her in Lausanne in early July. The versatile Ethiopian posted a lifetime best of 3:58.79 in Hengelo and her only 1500m defeat this season came at the hands of Jamal in Monaco.
Burka, a former World short course Cross Country champion, also possesses strength in abundance and will not be fazed by the rounds of the 1500m.
Outside of the leading pair Russian Anna Alminova has emerged as a strong challenger this year. She made a huge impact on the boards this winter sweeping to the gold medal over 1500m at the European Indoor Championships and has maintained this form outdoors. She was twice outgunned by Burka during early June but her lifetime best performance of 3:58.38 to land the Russian title (for second on the World Lists) marks her out as one to watch.
Alminova’s teammates Natalya Evdokimova (3:59.66) and Oksana Zbrozhek (4:00.86) also swept to PBs at the National championships and will form a powerful three-pronged Russian assault.
The USA have enjoyed a genuine renaissance in the middle-distances this season and all three women in this event will be confident of making a huge impact.
The fastest of the three US athletes this season is Christin Wurth-Thomas, who at the age of 29 is enjoying the best season of her life. She dipped below 4:00 for the first time in her career in Rome with 3:59.93 to finish runner-up behind Jamal - a performance which marks her out as a genuine contender.
Anna Willard finished tenth in the 3000m Steeplechase at the Beijing Olympic last summer but has been transformed into a world-class middle-distance runner this season. Willard set a personal best of 4:01.44 in Eugene in early June and finished third at the US Champs later that month. She was a winner over the metric mile in London and finished a respectable fourth place – behind Jamal and Burka – in Monaco.
Since winning the US title Shannon Rowbury, who finished 7th at last year’s Olympics Games, has had a quiet competitive programme, although runner-up spots in London and Stockholm offer encouragement for her hopes in Berlin.
The Olympic champion Nancy Lagat has been out of sorts this summer and with a best time of 4:05.05 for eighth in Eugene it is hard to see the Kenyan adding the World title to her name.
Other names to watch out for: Morocco’s Mariem Alaoui Selsouli (4:00.95), Slovenia’s Sonja Roman (4:02.13), Great Britain’s Lisa Dobriskey (4:02.28) and Nuria Fernandez of Spain (4:02.43).
Steve Landells for the IAAF
