Ethiopia's Tizita Bogale crosses the line victorious in the 1500m, stopping the clock in a PB of 4:08.06 (© Getty Images)
In contrast to the 2008 final in Bydgoczsz, the Moncton 1500m final was a brisk affair characterized by a 61-second opening lap led by Kenyans Nelly Ngeiywo and Nancy Chepkwemoi.
Ngeiywo and Chepkwemoi bolted to the front from the gun, towing the field through 300m in 44 seconds and 400m in 1:01.02. Tizita Bogale of Ethiopia and Genzeb Shumi of Bahrain made up the rest of the lead pack, but the punishing pace was unsustainable for nearly all of them. The leaders were already slowing approaching the 700m mark, and at 800m they were 2:10.14 with Shumi falling back (she would ultimately finish 10th) and first Jordan Hasay (USA) and then Ciara Mageean (IRL) rejoining the pack.
Ngeiywo began to fall back in the third lap, and Hasay on the outside and Mageean on the inside were nipping on the heels of Bogale and Chepkwemoi as they approached the bell. Bogale moved to the front on the curve and reached the 1200m split in 3:18.34 with Mageean struggling at first to get around Chepkwemoi but then joining the battle with Bogale on the backstretch.
Now it was a two-woman race, as Chepkwemoi and Hasay were obviously struggling from the early-race efforts. Even Bogale and Mageean looked tired as they slogged up the homestretch, but Bogale pulled in to the lead and held on for the win in a PB 4:08.06. Mageean scored a national junior record and six-second PB in second, running 4:09.51; Chepkwemoi took third in 4:11.04 with Hasay outside the medals at 4:13.95 but improving on her fifth-place finish in 2008.
