FONTVIEILLE, MONACO, August 10 — Now regarded as the greatest women’s 1500 runner ever, Faith Kipyegon has 2 Olympic golds and 2 WC golds, but is lacking a last piece: the World Record. Coming in, the 28-year-old Kenyan’s PR of 3:51.07, set in this meet last year, sat a whole second behind the 3:50.07 that Genzebe Dibaba produced in ’15. Here she went after it hard only to fall just inches short.
American Allie Wilson rabbited through splits of 59.89 and 2:01.64 as the rest of the field stayed so far away from Kipyegon’s pace that there were essentially two races going simultaneously — indeed, each had its own WaveLight.
After Wilson dropped, Adele Tracey tried to lead the next 200 but the record hopeful took over before the 1000, passing in 2:33.4. She hit the bell in 2:49.1 and would need a 60.96 to get the record. A 15.6 curve brought her to 1200 in 3:04.73. She covered the backstretch in 15.3, the final curve in 15.2.
All that remained was the final straight. Eyes on the clock, the Kenyan sprinted with everything she had left as her fans put breathing on hold to watch her. The clock stopped at 3:50.37, the No. 2 time in history, but a miss by 0.30.
“I have been chasing the time for quite some time but I am happy with the personal best,” she said. “It seems I did not give all but I tried hard. I knew this was the best place to get the World Record but I am so disappointed I lost it in the last meters. I hope for the best next time. We will see when. I was definitely ready for it today.”
The other 1500 race — the one behind Kipyegon — turned into an American show. Ethiopia’s Hirut Meshesha led through 700, having passed 400 in 61.4. Before 800 (2:08.0), teammate Axumawit Embaye pulled alongside. At 1200 (3:11.5), Australian Georgia Griffith made her bid, and she stayed in front until Elise Cranny and then Heather MacLean passed her on the straight. The two battled hard down the stretch and both broke 4:00 for the first time: MacLean 3:58.89, and Cranny 3:59.07. They moved to Nos. 8 and 9 on the U.S. all-time list.
The women’s 100 matched the top two from the WC. They lined up with Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in 5 and Shericka Jackson in 3 with an empty lane between after Melissa Jefferson’s late withdrawal.
To some, it looked like possibly the fastest getaway of SAFP’s career. The “Mommy Rocket” boasted a big lead by 20m….
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Track & Field News…