Maryam Yusuf Jamal holds off the much-improved Shannon Rowbury in the women's 1500m (© Getty Images)
A year ago in Osaka, Maryam Jamal finally emerged as the world’s premiere 1500m specialist. For several seasons among the world’s quickest, the 23-year-old Ethiopian-born Bahraini won a dramatic homestretch battle to capture her first World title to become, for the moment, the event’s undisputed queen.
Her successful 2007 campaign in which she won seven of nine races over the distance – including victories in Oslo, Monaco, Zurich, Brussels and Stuttgart – followed up on her 2006 campaign in which she improved to 3:56.18 but a season in which she didn’t quite have the consistency she clearly exhibited last season.
In 2008, Jamal appears to have picked up where she left off, taking two victories in as many outings this season, a 4:00.67 run in Athens and a 3:59.99 in Paris five days later. In both outings she was clearly the strongest in the latter stages, an aspect of her race that has certainly been improved thanks to some fast 800m appearances, including a 1:58.66 national record in Hengelo.
In a crowded field behind her, who will be leading the chase is virtually up in the air, especially with the principal Russian exponents removed from the entry list due to their provisional suspension for doping violations.
back to those running and Ukraine’s Iryna Lishchynska took the bronze in Osaka last year, and has a 4:01.61 to her credit this season, along with a victory in Madrid and a pair of runner-up finishes. Her most recent race however, might not have been as good an effort as the 32-year-old would have liked as a Beijing tune-up, finishing a well-beaten tenth in Paris.
Conversely, the Paris meet was the only international race for recently-minted American champion Shannon Rowbury, and the 23-year-old clearly impressed with her runner-up finish behind Jamal. Rowbury made waves nationally with her breakout 4:01.61 outing in Carson, California, in mid May, and after taking the U.S title in Eugene, she made international observers take note with her 4:00.33 in Paris. Not in the young American’s favour is her lack of international experience, although her performance in the French capital indicated that she was clearly in shape to break the four-minute barrier.
2008 African champion and World indoor bronze medallist Gelete Burka has emerged as Ethiopia’s best chance at a first Olympic medal in the event. The 22-year-old broke four minutes indoors in Valencia and was nearly as fast at the Prefontaine Classic in June, winning in 4:00.44.
British hope Lisa Dobriskey, the 2006 Commonwealth champion, has produced her most consistent season. After her victory London, she ran inside of 4:01 in a mixed race, illustrating solid pre-Beijing form.
Others expected to threaten for the podium are Kenyan No. 1 Viola Kibiwott, a finalist in Osaka; Athens Olympic finalist Daniela Yordanova from Bulgaria, who has run consistently this summer; and Australian Sarah Jamieson, who put on an impressive and aggressive performance in Monaco late last month.
Bob Ramsak for the IAAF
