2013 End-of-year Review – Women’s 1,500m

The 1500m season was dominated by Sweden’s 23-year-old Abeba Aregawi.

Aregawi, who had competed for Ethiopia at the London 2012 Olympics games, but switched to her adopted country in December 2012, won each and every one of her 10 starts in 2013.

This streak included six wins at IAAF Diamond League meetings, the European Athletics Indoor Championships title and of course the IAAF World Championships gold medal where she beat the USA’s reigning champion, Jenny Simpson, who finished very  fast but really didn’t get too close in the end.

Aregawi’s season was perfect.

She ran 3:58.40 for a 2013 world leading time indoors and national indoor record in front of her home audience, a 3:56.60 national record and outdoor world-leading time at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Doha in early May, as well as 1:59.20 800m national record.

Behind Aregawi in Doha, Kenya’s 19-year-old Kenyan Faith Kipyegon started her campaign with a massive 3:56.98 national record and African junior record but could not find the same form during the rest of the season.

Kipyegon finished fifth in Moscow, but Kenya still won a 1500m medal through Hellen Obiri, was won the bronze.

Obiri has competed in four major championships and made the final every time, including the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships, where she won the 3000m.

She gave a clear indication that she was going to be a factor in Moscow when she won at the IAAF Diamond League in Eugene in 3:58:58.

The fourth woman under four minutes this year was Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba, who produced a 3:57.54 personal best in Doha, her only race under four minutes this season. The 22-year-old younger sister of Tirunesh Dibaba finished in eighth place in the Moscow final.

Source: IAAF.org