Svetlana Masterkova’s bid to add the world title to her two Olympic gold medals ended with her being carried from the track and driven to hospital in an ambulance after the second semi-final of the women’s 1500m.
Other notable athletes who failed to make the final were Patricia Djate-Taillard of France, who finished 10th in the semi 1 and Suzy Hamilton of USA who was sixth in semi two.
Semi-final 1: The Russian Olga Nelyubova led the pack through the first 400m in 1:03.86, with Djate and Carla Sacramento of Portugal in close attendance. At 800m (2:12.63), Anita Weyermann of Switzerland was on the Russian’s shoulder. At the bell (3:02.88), with the pace quickening, Nelyubova was still leading but at 1200m Sacramento took five athletes clear of the rest of the field - it was these five who became the automatic qualifiers. Nelyubova was first across the line in 4:04.67, followed by Sacramento, Regina Jacobs of USA, Sonia O’Sullivan of Ireland and Weyermann.
Semi-final 2: Masterkova went out hard from the gun but after 100 metres Hamilton took over and led until the final 200m. The pace was not quick enough to guarantee more than the five automatic qualifiers, however, as Hamilton led them through 400m in 1:05.53, 800m in 2:14.18 and hit the bell at 3:03.83. Malin Ewerlof of Sweden attacked from 200m out and Masterkova found herself boxed in. She tried to fight her way clear but the effort of the sprint was too much for her injured leg and she ended up limping across the line.
Hamilton was passed by a deluge of runners and, at first, thought she had held on for fifth until a reading of the finish showed she had just been beaten to the line by Robyn Meagher of Canada. Ewerlof crossed the line first in 4:06.75.
