Women’s 1500 final
Steven Downes for IAAF
21 October 2000 – Abebech Negussie delivered Ethiopia’s first gold medal of these 8th World Junior Championships when she outsprinted Rose Kosgei and Georgie Clarke over the final lap of a slow, tactical race, crossing the line in 4min 19.93sec.
It was the second world championship medal won by Negussie this year – in March, she was eighth, and fourth scorer, in Ethiopia’s silver medal-winning team at the World Cross-country.
Here, Kenya’s Kosgei collected the silver, with her 4:20.16, while 16-year-old Clarke, silver medallist at 800m on Friday, this time won bronze in 4:20.21.
The race had started out at little more than a jog, Clarke’s Australian team mate, Melissa Rollison, clicking through laps of 72.05sec and 73.55sec.
Kosgei made the first move at the bell, but was chased hard by Negussie and South Africa’s Zanelle Grobler, with Clarke losing her position slightly down the back straight.
By the time Clarke attacked off the final bend, the Ethiopian had opened what proved to be a decisive one-metre gap, and she was able to celebrate even before she reached the finish.
