For the second time at these championships seven-time champion Maria Mutola defeated the great Spanish hopeful Mayte Martinez but will the result be the same in tomorrow’s final?
Yesterday the living legend from Mozambique edged a tight-fought heat from Martinez, the World 800m bronze medallist, and it was the same result - albeit by just 0.05 - after the pair were also matched up in the same semi-final.
However, perhaps the most satisfied athlete in the first semi-final was Tamsyn Lewis, who was also rewarded with a place in the six-strong final thanks to her aggressive front-running tactics.
The tall, blonde Australian streaked through 200m in 29.27 and led by a couple of metres from Mutola at halfway in 1:00.60.
The passionate local crowd went barmy when Martinez found a gap on the inside to take the lead at the bell before the Maputo Express’ charge over the final lap brought her a narrow victory in 2:01.81 from the Spaniard.
But credit Lewis too for sticking resolutely to her task and take the third and final spot for the final in 2:02.07.
In the second semi-final the Ukraine’s Tetiana Petlyuk led from gun to tape to advance to the final. She passed halfway in 57.60 and did not pay for the early electric pace to cross the line in a season’s best of 1:59.58.
Behind her Great Britain’s diminutive Jenny Meadows, who tracked Petlyuk her ever inch of the four laps at the Palau Velodromo Luis Puig, was rewarded with a personal best of 1:59.73 for second.
Elisa Cusma, who employed a more conservative approach, set an Italian record of 2:00.36 to secure the third and final place in the final.
Steve Landells for the IAAF
