TheFinalSprint.com - Track & Field, Marathons, Racing News, Training Advice, Elite Athlete Blogs, Interviews, Podcasts, Videos and More! - TheFinalSprint.com is the Premier Destination for Track & Field, Marathon, Cross Country, Olympic and Road Racing Enthusiasts.

TFS to Expand Writing Staff and Internship Program

Whether you are a seasoned veteran, an aspiring journalist, or even just a knowledgeable fan looking for a profitable hobby, we want to hear from you! Click here to apply today!

2008 Beijing Olympic Preview: Women’s 1500 Meters

Posted August 12th, 2008 at 3:30 PM by Jesse Squire

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics

Maryam Yusuf Jamal Women’s 1500 Meters

The Schedule: heats, Tuesday Aug 19; semifinals, Thursday Aug 21; finals, Saturday Aug 23
The Americans: #5 Shannon Rowbury, #8 Erin Donohue, #9 Christin Wurth-Thomas
The Contenders: #2 Maryam Yusuf Jamal (BRN), #3 Gelete Burka (ETH), #7 Sarah Jamieson (AUS), #14 Daniela Yordanova (BUL)
The Stats: Records, 2008 List, 2007 Worlds, 2004 Olympics
The Medal Picks: T&FN - Jamal, Soboleva, Tomashova;
SI - Jamal, Lishchynska, Burka
The Story: The USA has never won an Olympic medal in this event, but that may change this year. The Stars & Stripes is fielding its strongest trio ever in this event, headlined by Rowbury. She will be a breakout media star if she manages to win gold.

That’s a tall order. Jamal has won just about everything that matters over the last three years, except indoor championships (this year she was beaten by two of the DQ’d Russians). She spent the early part of the outdoor season honing her 800 speed before going back to the 1500, winning both her starts.

The second of those was also Rowbury’s first-ever European race. She ran smart and in control and pushed Jamal to the line, losing by a scant 0.34 seconds. Burka bombed in that race, finishing seventh, but it was her lone bad outing of the year. A jack-of-all-trades, this year she was third at the World Indoor Championships (1500) and tenth at the World Cross Country Championships (8k).

Note: Athletes’ rankings refer to TheFinalSprint.com’s World Points Standings, and medal picks come to us from Track & Field News and Sports Illustrated, respectively.