EUGENE – Two-time Olympic gold medalist Faith Kipyegon ran away with the women’s 1,500 meters Friday in the World Athletics Championships at Hayward Field.
Kipyegon, Gudaf Tsegay, Laura Muir and Hirut Meshesha started the race as if shot out of a cannon, bolting in front of the other nine runners in the field.
Kipyegon sustained the fast start to finish with a winning time of 3 minutes, 52.96 seconds before a crowd of 10,990.
Tsegay crossed second in 3:54.52. Olympic silver medalist Laura Muir was third in 3:55.28.
No one else in the field broke four minutes. Team USA’s Sinclaire Johnson and Australian Jessica Hull, both members of the Portland-based, Nike-sponsored Union Athletics Club, finished sixth and seventh, respectively.
Neither ever was really in the race, especially after Kipyegon, Tsegay, Muir and Meshesha all cracked 60 seconds in the first 400. Johnson and Hull were just trying to hang on.
“It was kind of a weird thing because I felt I was going all-out and they’re going even faster,” Johnson said.
Hull said she and Johnson started with a simple race plan. They didn’t anticipate a 55-second first lap.
“Our race plan was, whatever they do, you’re ready,” she said. “But I don’t know that we ever considered they could go out in 55. We thought like, 61 would be aggressive.
“When they’ve got six seconds on us in the first 400, it’s pretty wild.”
There was little the rest of the field could do but keep on keeping on, and hope the front four faltered.
Meshesha did. The rocket start took a toll and she faded to 12th. But the other three stayed untouchable.
Kipyegon said she expected the three Ethiopians in the field — Tsegay, Meshesha and Freweyni Hailu — would push the pace from the gun.
“I knew they were planning something special,” said Kipyegon, a Kenyan. “But I was well prepared.”
So was Muir, a Scot with a veterinary degree.
“I didn’t realize what the time was, but it felt fast,” she said. “To run those times in the first lap is very impressive for all of us.”
It was a three-woman race at the bell for the last lap. Kipyegon broke away on the back straight, widened her lead around the turn and accelerated down the home straight.
Tsegay and Muir gave chase, but no one would catch Kipyegon.
“I tried to hang on as long as I could, just keep a medal position at all times,” Muir said.
Further back, Johnson and Hull had their own perspectives.
“As much as all of us want to be there, they’re in a class of their own right now,” Johnson said. “I have to give it to them. They put on a hell of a performance.”
All the competitors in the 1,500 were running their third race in four days.
“To run what they did is incredible,” Johnson said. “It shows their strength.”
Johnson finished in 4:01.63 and Hull in 4:01.82. It wasn’t bad, but they have bigger aspirations. Hull said she planned to talk to Union Athletics Club coach Pete Julian about the next step.
“I want to be able to contend for medals,” Hull said. “If that means I have to be ready to go out in sub-60 and not die, then we need to practice that.”
Here are results from the World Athletics Championships.
— Ken Goe for The Oregonian/OregonLive
KenGoe1020@gmail.com | Twitter: @KenGoe
