World record holders Genzebe Dibaba and David Rudisha win in Beijing
In the women’s 1,500-meter final at the world track and field championships in Beijing, world record holder Genzebe Dibaba of Ethiopia used a pedestrian early pace to her advantage as she closed the final 800 meters of her race in approximately one minute and 57 seconds to take the gold medal in 4:08.09.
Dibaba is just the second Ethiopian woman to medal in the 1,500 meters at the world championships and the first gold medalist.
Next summer, she could become her nation's first Olympic medalist at the distance. At the 2012 Games in London, Dibaba suffered a hamstring injury in her heat of the 1,500 and failed to finish the race.
Dibaba's split of 1:57 for those final 800-meters would be right with Kenyan Eunice Sum's 1:56.99 world-leading time for the open 800 in 2015.
Kenya's Faith Chepngetich Kipyegon finished in 4:08.96 for silver. Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands, who ran 3:56.05 in Monaco earlier in the summer, took bronze in 4:09.34.
Shannon Rowbury was the top American, finishing seventh in 4:12.39. The 2011 world champion and 2013 silver medalist Jenny Simpson ran half a lap before one of her shoes fell off. She finished 11th in 4:16.28.
Defending world champion Abeba Aregawi of Sweden placed sixth in 4:12.16.
Dibaba will return to competition on Thursday for the first round of the 5,000. No woman has ever won gold at both the 1,500 and 5,000.
Watch Dibaba’s gold medal run below:
[youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACaTfoPwQfI]
Men’s 800-meter final: Kenya's David Rudisha had not contested a global championship since setting a world record of 1:40.91 in the 800-meter final at the 2012 Olympics in London. Rudisha, injured in 2013 and unable to defend his world championship title from 2011, won gold on Tuesday with a 1:45.84 performance.
Adam Kszczot of Poland took silver in 1:46.08. Amel Tuka, who entered the race having run the world's fastest time this year of 1:42.51, won the first ever world championship medal for Bosnia Herzegovina with his 1:46.30 for bronze.
For the first time since 2007, no American contested the final.
Men’s 400-meter hurdles final: Coming into the race, the eight finalists’ best times for the year were separated by a mere .25 seconds. Odds of winning a medal were fairly even among all. Kenya’s Nicholas Bett stunned the field as he took gold in a personal best of 47.79, the fastest time on the year. It was Kenya’s first gold medal in any event shorter than 800-meters.
Russia’s Denis Kudryavtsev and Jeffrey Gibson set national records with their 48.05 and 48.17 performances for silver and bronze, respectively.
American Michael Tinsley, the lone 2012 Olympic medalist in the final, finished last in 50.02. Kerron Clement was the top American in 48.18 as he finished just outside the medals in fourth.
Men’s long jump final:Olympic champion Greg Rutherford of Great Britain returned to the world championship stage by winning the event with a mark of 8.41-meters. Next summer in Rio de Janeiro, Rutherford, Rudisha and Usain Bolt could head into competition with the title of reigning Olympic and world champion.
Fabrice Lapierre took silver with a jump of 8.24-meters. China put three men into the finals who went on to finish third, fourth and fifth.
The United States struggled in the sandpit as Jeff Henderson, who has jumped a world-leading 8.52-meters on the year, did not reach the final; nor did his compatriot Mike Hartfield.
Men’s 200-meter heats: After winning gold in the men’s 100-meter dash on Sunday, Usain Bolt returned to the track for the 200-meter heats and easily advanced out of his section with a 20.28 victory. Bolt won by .01 seconds after slowing down with 50 meters remaining in the race.
One hundred-meter silver medalist Justin Gatlin breezed through his section with a 20.19 victory. Sixteen-year-old Japanese sprint star Sani Brown finished behind him in 20.35.
Three-time world championship medalist Wallace Spearmon scratched from the 200 due to a small tear in his left calf muscle. Olympic bronze medalist Warren Weir of Jamaica advanced with a 20.24 season’s best.
Women’s 400-meter semifinal: Olympic 200-meter champion Allyson Felix will get her chance for gold after running a season’s best of 49.89 to qualify for Thursday’s final. Her biggest challengers for gold could be Shaunae Miller of the Bahamas, who has run 49.92 on the year, and Great Britain’s Christine Ohurugu, who won gold in 2007 and 2013.
American collegian Phyllis Francis (Oregon) was the last qualifier for the final with her 50.50 run behind Felix. Natasha Hastings of the U.S. failed to advance.
Women’s discus final: Denis Caballero of Cuba added a world championship gold medal to her collection after winning gold at the Pan-American Games last month. She threw 69.28-meters on her first throw of the night, which was the longest toss at a world championships since 1991.
The 2013 world champion, Sandra Perkovic of Cuba, settled for silver with her 67.39. She was last defeated at the world championships in 2009.
