With her runaway win, Alesya Turava not only became the first women’s World Cup champion in the Steeplechase, she also helped make her case as the year’s top steeplechaser ever stronger.
With five women still in contention at the bell, the 26-year-old Turava, this year’s European champion and World Athletics Final winner, quickly pulled away to create an insurmountable gap of nearly 15 metres. African champion Jeruto Kiptum gave case but to no avail, to finish well behind Turava’s 9:29.10 in 9:31.44.
“I’ve had a problem in my legs since Stuttgart and last week my training wasn’t the best,” said Turava, who nonetheless remained undefeated in five races this summer. “But I got first place and that was the most important.”
Wioletta Janowska took third (9:35.08) for Poland, while Victoria Mitchell’s fourth place finish in front of Russian Tatyana Petrova, who led much of the early race, was a big boost for Turava’s Europe squad, stealing a valuable point from the favoured Russian team.
Bob Ramsak
