Defending champion Maryam Jamal led all qualifiers in the opening round of the 1500m (© Getty Images)
Daegu, KoreaEthiopia’s World Indoor champion Kalakidan Gezahegne* and Britain’s World silver medallist Lisa Dobriskey were the two notable casualties of the first round heats – although New Zealand’s Nikki Hamblin was perhaps the only true casualty after crashing face first to the floor in her opening heat.
Hamblin, boxed in, was trying to move through to one of the six automatic qualifying places halfway down the finishing straight when she clipped Gezahegne’s heels and hit the deck. After lying prostrate for several seconds, she climbed tearfully to her feet and finished unsteadily, clocking a poignant 4:36.70.
The Ethiopian had staggered onto the infield before recovering to finish seventh in 4:14.45. She was doubly unfortunate in that she was in the first, and slowest heat.
* [UPDATED 12:30pm LOCAL TIME - Following a protest lodged by the Ethiopian federation, Kalkidan will advance to the next round. A protest lodged by the New Zealand federation was rejected.]
Hannah England, of Britain, won the opening heat with assurance after moving around the outside on the final bend to take the lead into the final straight. She finished in 4:13.45, with Mimi Belete of Bahrain second in 4:13.50 and Siham Hilali of Morocco third in 4:13.59.
Runners in the two subsequent races had the advantage of knowing what the target was if they hoped to qualify as one of the additional six fastest losers, and it was no surprise that the times got progressively faster, with five of those extra six coming from a last heat won by defending champion Maryam Yusuf Jamal of Bahrain – formerly Zenebech Tola of Ethiopia - in 4:07.04.
If Jamal’s former team-mate was unfortunate, there was no obvious excuse for Dobriskey, who was covering the leaders in heat two as the bell went but who then drifted back through the field around the final bend and finished second last in 4:12.70.
Tugba Karakaya of Turkey won in 4:10.38 after taking over the lead from Spain’s Natalia Rodriguez in the back straight of the final lap. Btissam Lakhouad of Morocco finished second in 4:10.71 from Viola Kibiwot of Kenya, with the Spaniard taking fourth place.
Jamal was accompanied in the final heat by Morgan Uceny as she arrived in the final straight, and the American, who is doubling up over 800m and 1500m here, qualified in third place, clocking 4:07.29, after calmly glancing around her to check her position. Nuria Fernandez of Spain moved into second place, finishing in 4:07.29.
Hellen Onsando Obiri of Kenya took fourth place in a personal best of 4:07.59, and Ekaterina Martynova of Russia was fifth in 4:07.76, finishing with impressive speed.
Mike Rowbottom for the IAAF
