Pamela Jelimo runs the third fastest 800m of all time (© Getty Images)
With less than three weeks to the 2009 Madrid International Athletics Meeting, on the 4th July at the Moratalaz Sports Centre, it has been announced that one of the attractions of the meeting will be the presence of last year’s middle distance running sensation, Kenyan Pamela Jelimo, the Olympic 800m champion.
The Madrid International is a Grand Prix status meeting as part of the IAAF World Athletics Tour.
Jelimo’s arrival on the international scene last year caused a revolution in 800m running. Only 18-years-old (she celebrated her 19th birthday on 5 December), the Kenyan dominated her 15 races over the distance, including the Beijing Olympic final. After that victory she lowered her personal best to 1:54.01 in Zürich, an African record and World junior record.
In addition, Jelimo ran another three times under 1:55 last season and is the third woman on the all-time list behind only World record holder, Czech Jarmila Kratochvilova (1:53.28 in 1983) and Ukrainian Nadezhda Olizarenko
(1:53.43 in 1980).
During this season Jelimo has only competed twice over 800m, in Rabat and Eugene, with modest results of way over two minutes.
Ignacio Mansilla for the IAAF