WORLD ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Laura just misses a medal in race of the champions
IT was just too much. Laura Muir bobbed and pushed and hassled the strongest field in these Championships, but fell painfully short of her aim of a medal last night, losing bronze in the final stride of the 1,500metres.
who knows if the difference was caused by the foot fracture that kept her out for a month earlier in the summer? It was more likely just the absurd strength of the opposition. an incredible race.
There was a world champion who holds the world record in Genzebe Dibaba, an Olympic champion in Faith Kipyegon, an 800m champion in Caster semenya and sifan Hassan, the woman responsible for the three fastest times in the world this year.
The start was quite something. Muir surged straight to the front, a statement of intent, setting her own pace rather than singing to Dibaba and Kipyegon’s tune as she had in Rio last year, where she finished seventh.
This time, she was determined it would be different. she led the first two laps in 2:17.11, but then fell back. she dropped to fifth, but was third at the bell. Game on.
semenya was nowhere, ninth going down the back straight, and Hassan had the lead from Kipyegon. It was brutally close as Muir entered the final 100m in third place, but, just as Hassan faded, the scot was passed by Jennifer simpson of the Usa and semenya in the final ten metres.
she had dipped for the line, almost thrown herself at it, but came up 0.07sec short. Horribly close.
Kipyegon got the title that adds to her gold in Rio and simpson added a silver to the three major medals she has collected in the past five years. semenya, with the sprint finish, had surged into third.
For Muir, there is the consolation of knowing she has another go in the 5,000m later in the week.
‘I gave it everything I could considering the disruption I’ve had this year,’ she said. ‘I tied up in the last 15 yards. I knew it was close. It happened so late in the race. I couldn’t react, but I wouldn’t have been able to as I was so tired.
‘I executed the race plan like I wanted to do. I was really happy with how I ran the race. I was fifth in the last worlds and fourth this time — hopefully, I’ll make another step.
‘I’m sure the 5,000m is still on the cards. I’m inexperienced in the 5k, so I don’t know if I’ll get a medal. I’ll see how I feel after today.’
The pressure on Muir had grown through the week with each British failure. There is no denying it has been a hard, underwhelming Championships so far for the home contingent, with Mo Farah excelling in the first final and then the square root of zilch ever since.
Katarina Johnson-Thompson, andy Pozzi and Holly Bradshaw were all held up as athletes who might make the transition from flirting with medals to holding them, but each failed.
sophie Hitchon then joined that list after finishing seventh in the hammer final, which makes it increasingly difficult to see how the team will hit the six medals UK sport set as the target.
Team captain Eilidh Doyle attempted to reason away the situation last night by arguing that performances bode well for the future, but it’s currently hard to buy into the optimism.
she said: ‘although we’ve not got medals, you’ve had people like Callum Hawkins finishing fourth (in the marathon). Reece Prescod — first championship — made it to the 100m final. That was incredible.
‘You’ve also got Kyle Langford, who smashed it to make the men’s 800m final. so although we’re not quite making that step on to the podium, that’s the future out there. You’re going to see these guys for years to come.’
Earlier, Danny Talbot and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake stormed into the 200m semis, but Zharnel Hughes took a circuitous route out of the heats. Hughes could only finish fourth in 20.43sec — going through as a fastest loser — which perhaps questions the wisdom of the selectors in overlooking adam Gemili, who had come within a whisker of a 200m bronze in Rio.
Talbot hit a personal best of 20.16sec, crossing a fraction behind wayde van Niekerk, while MitchellBlake was the second-fastest qualifier in 20.08sec.
Botswana’s Isaac Makwala, who ran a sub-44sec 400m and a sub-20 200m on the same night last month, was a shock withdrawal from the 200m after vomiting in the call room with food poisoning.
Meanwhile, Olympic gold medallist Omar McLeod salvaged some pride for Jamaica on the back of defeats for Usain Bolt and Elaine Thompson by winning the 110m hurdles final in 13.05sec, holding off defending champion sergey shubenkov.