2019 World Athletics Championships – Women's 1500 metres


The women's 1500 metres at the 2019 World Athletics Championships was held at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, from 2 to 5 October 2019.

Summary

Like the men, championship level women's 1500s also typically turn into strategic, sit and kick affairs. In 2017, strategic worked for Faith Kipyegon to leave the world record holder Genzebe Dibaba behind. Sifan Hassan was also left behind by that tactic. In 2019, she set the world record in the mile and had already won the 10,000 metres at these championships.
The final started inauspiciously enough, Gabriela DeBues-Stafford eventually found herself in the lead, Hassan dropped to the back of the pack. After 200 metres, Hassan moved out to lane 2 and moved forward around everyone into the lead. Kipyegon and Gudaf Tsegay moved in behind her to watch. Even with the slow start the first lap was 1:03.51. None of the chasing runners looked relaxed, most were working hard to stay up. Laura Muir and Jenny Simpson moved up toward the front. The second lap was 1:02.44. During the third lap, Muir positioned herself for the final lap, getting onto Kipyegon's shoulder coming onto the home stretch, then up to Hassan's just before the bell at 2:52.59. Muir stayed in position through the turn, Kipyegon and Tsegay behind her a gap forming behind. Hassan ran the third lap in 1:01.46, then looked back at Muir and took off sprinting. A big gap formed quickly, Kipyegon going around Muir in chase. Hassan kept looking back like a hunted animal being chased, but the gap continued to grow as did Kipyegon's separation from the next group of four; Muir, Tsegay, Shelby Houlihan with DeBues-Stafford trying to hold on. As Kipyegon saw hope was lost, she began to slow back toward the chasers. Houlihan moved to lane 2 to try to sprint past Tsegay, instead Tsegay pulled away gaining on Kipyegon. Hassan won by close to 15 metres. Kipyegon glided across the line for silver barely ahead of a rapidly closing Tsegay.
Hassan's time of 3:51.95, places her as the #6 runner in history behind Dibaba and two infamous races in China in the 1990s. Well beaten, Kipyegon, Tsegay and Houlihan moved to #11, #13 and #15 on that list respectively. Even sixth place DeBues-Stafford ranks as #21. Hassan set the European record that had been held by Soviet Tatyana Kazankina for 39 years, Houlihan the North American record, Kipyegon the Kenyan record and DeBues-Stafford the Canadian record.

Records

Before the competition records were as follows:
RecordAthleteDateLocation
World3:50.07Genzebe Dibaba17 Jul 2015Monaco
Championship3:58.52Tatyana Tomashova31 Aug 2003Paris, France
World leading3:55.30Sifan Hassan12 Jul 2019Monaco
African3:50.07Genzebe Dibaba17 Jul 2015Monaco
Asian3:50.46Qu Yunxia11 Sep 1993Beijing, China
NACAC3:56.29Shannon Rowbury17 July 2015Monaco
South American4:05.67Letitia Vriesde31 Aug 1991Tokyo, Japan
European3:52.47Tatyana Kazankina31 Aug 1980Zürich, Switzerland
Oceanian4:00.86Linden Hall26 May 2018Eugene, United States

The following records were established during the competition:
DateEventNameNationalityTimeRecord
5 OctoberFinalSifan Hassan3:51.95,

Schedule

The event schedule, in local time, is as follows:
DateTimeRound
2 October17:35Heats
3 October23:00Semi-finals
5 October20:55Final

Results

Heats

The first six in each heat and the next six fastest qualified for the semi-finals.
RankHeatNameNationalityTimeNotes
11Sifan Hassan4:03.88Q
21Faith Kipyegon4:03.93Q
31Nikki Hiltz4:04.00Q
41Winnie Nanyondo4:04.04Q
51Ciara Mageean4:04.18Q
61Sarah McDonald4:04.42Q
71Lemlem Hailu4:05.61q
81Kristiina Mäki4:06.61q,
91Esther Guerrero4:06.99q
103Jenny Simpson4:07.27Q
113Gabriela DeBues-Stafford4:07.28Q
123Laura Muir4:07.37Q
133Marta Pérez4:07.48Q
141Georgia Griffith4:07.73q
153Claudia Bobocea4:07.76Q
163Malika Akkaoui4:08.05Q
173Linden Hall4:08.12q
183Daryia Barysevich4:08.19q
192Rababe Arafi4:08.32Q
202Winny Chebet4:08.36Q
212Gudaf Tsegay4:08.39Q
222Shelby Houlihan4:08.51Q
233Axumawit Embaye4:08.56
242Jessica Hull4:08.71Q
251Sara Kuivisto4:08.85
263Esther Chebet4:08.89
272Yolanda Ngarambe4:09.22Q
283María Pía Fernández4:09.45
292Aisha Praught-Leer4:09.81
302P. U. Chitra4:11.10
312Caterina Granz4:12.36
322Jemma Reekie4:12.51
332Maruša Mišmaš4:14.94
342Carla Mendes4:23.56
353Neide Dias4:28.27

Semi-finals

The first 5 in each heat and the next two fastest qualified for the final.
RankHeatNameNationalityTimeNotes
12Jenny Simpson4:00.99Q
22Gabriela DeBues-Stafford4:01.04Q
32Laura Muir4:01.05Q
42Gudaf Tsegay4:01.12Q
52Winny Chebet4:01.14Q
62Winnie Nanyondo4:01.30q
72Nikki Hiltz4:01.52q,
82Jessica Hull4:01.80
92Yolanda Ngarambe4:03.43
102Linden Hall4:06.39
112Marta Pérez4:10.45
121Sifan Hassan4:14.69Q
131Shelby Houlihan4:14.91Q
141Rababe Arafi4:14.94Q
151Faith Kipyegon4:14.98Q
161Ciara Mageean4:15.49Q
171Sarah McDonald4:15.73
181Lemlem Hailu4:16.56
191Esther Guerrero4:16.66
202Malika Akkaoui4:16.83
211Daryia Barysevich4:17.04
221Georgia Griffith4:17.15
231Kristiina Mäki4:17.65
241Claudia Bobocea4:18.25

Final

The final was started on 5 October at 20:55.
RankNameNationalityTimeNotes
Sifan Hassan3:51.95,
Faith Kipyegon3:54.22'
Gudaf Tsegay3:54.38
4Shelby Houlihan3:54.99'
5Laura Muir3:55.76
6Gabriela DeBues-Stafford3:56.12
7Winny Chebet3:58.20
8Jenny Simpson3:58.42
9Rababe Arafi3:59.93
10Ciara Mageean4:00.15
11Winnie Nanyondo4:00.63
12Nikki Hiltz4:06.68