Our Laura is facing fight to fulfil her gold dream
YOUR GUIDE TO THE GREATEST RACE IN TOWN FOR ALL BREAKING SPORTS NEWS VISIT
Riath Al-Samarrai runs the rule over Laura Muir’s rivals in tonight’s women’s 1500m final, which could be the race of the Championships...
SIFAN HASSAN (HOLLAND) a wORlD bronze medallist at the distance in 2015 and the world indoor champion last year. she has run the three fastest 1500m times in the world this year, and won her heat and semi-final in london. since the end of last year she has been working with alberto salazar, the controversial american coach who trains mo Farah. Personal best: 3min 56.05sec; Season’s best: 3:56.14. CASTER SEMENYA (SOUTH AFRICA) THE Olympic 800m champion in 2012 and 2016, semenya has opted to double-up in london and looked extremely comfortable through the rounds, with speed to burn.
Debate about intersex athletes follows her to each major championships, but she has looked focused so far in london. Her potential at this distance remains to be seen but early impressions are that she could be a serious contender. PB: 4:01.99; SB: 4:02.84. FAITH KIPYEGON (KENYA) THE Olympic champion from Rio 2016, she is the second fastest in the world this year. The winner of her heat and semi-final, having won three of her four races this season coming into the championships.
she took a silver medal in the world Championships in Beijing in 2015, as well as Commonwealth Games gold in 2014. PB: 3:56.41; SB: 3:57.51. GENZEBE DIBABA (ETHIOPIA) THE world record-holder at the distance (3:50.07 from 2015), but the 26-year-old only qualified for the final in london as a fastest loser after finishing sixth in her semi-final on saturday. Her former coach, Jama aden, was arrested by spanish police last may when vials of EPO, the banned blood-boosting substance, were found at his hotel. PB: 3:50.07; SB: 3:57.82. JENNY SIMPSON (USA) THE 30-year-old is on the fringes of contention. she has demonstrated already her ability to deliver medalwinning performances in championship finals. simpson (below) won the title in the world Championships in Daegu in 2011 and followed it with silver in 2013 and bronze at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016. PB: 3:57.22; SB: 4:02.57. LAURA MUIR (GB) THE 24-year-old scot is an exceptional talent, having won two European indoor titles this season and broken five British records in the past 12 months. she came into these championships with the second fastest 1500m time in the field, clocked at the anniversary Games in the same stadium last month. Her brilliant progress in the past year was undermined by a fractured foot at the start of the summer. she lost a month of training time, so the question is whether the rounds have taken too much out of her. she looked comfortable in the heats and semi-final, in which she finished fourth and second respectively, and her precompetition outings were also encouraging, with personal bests set in the 800m and mile. with this final and the 5,000m still to come, she remains Britain’s best hope of a track medal beyond mo Farah. PB: 3:55.22; SB: 4:00.35.