2009 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 800 metres

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Women's 800 metres
at the 2009 World Championships
Venue Olympic Stadium
Dates16 August (heats)
17 August (semifinals)
19 August (final)
Competitors43 from 32 nations
Winning time1:55.45
Medalists
Gold medal icon.svg  
Silver medal icon.svg  
Bronze medal icon.svg  
  2007
2011  

The women's 800 metres at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Olympic Stadium on 16, 17 and 19 August. The winning margin was 2.45 seconds which as of 2024 is the greatest winning margin in the women's 800 metres at these championships and the only time this event has been won by more than two seconds at these championships.

Contents

Prior to the championships, there was no clear favourite for the race – the twenty fastest times of the season had been run by seventeen different athletes. The reigning World and Olympic champions, Janeth Jepkosgei and Pamela Jelimo, had not shown the dominance of previous seasons. The two fastest runners of the season, Caster Semenya and Maggie Vessey, had recently set personal bests but lacked any major championships experience, while third best Anna Alminova was a 1500 metres specialist. European Indoor Champion Mariya Savinova and Svetlana Klyuka, fourth at the Olympics, were other strong competitors. The 2007 World medallists Hasna Benhassi and Mayte Martínez, and Olympic finalist Yuliya Krevsun were also predicted as medal possibilities. [1] [2]

The events in the heats resulted in a surprise decision: world-leader Semenya accidentally tripped Jepkosgei and the defending champion finished last in the first heat. The Kenyan athletics federation appealed the decision and she was reinstated to run in the second semi-final, and Semenya was not disqualified as her actions were deemed unintentional. [3] Yuliya Krevsun, Elisa Cusma Piccione, and Zulia Calatayud were the fastest of the heat winners on the first day of competition. [4] With only eight places on offer, there were a number of high-profile scalps in the semi-finals. The first race saw past medallists Calatayud and Benhassi fail to qualify, Svetlana Klyuka was fifth in the second heat, while Vessey and Jelimo dropped out in the third semi-final of the day. Caster Semenya was the fastest in the preliminaries with 1:58.66. [5]

In the final, Semenya lead the race from the halfway mark, and continued to increase her lead from that point onwards, winning her first World Championship gold medal in a time of one minute and 55.45 seconds. Krevsun was in second place near the end of final straight, but she faded a little and allowed Jepkosgei and Jenny Meadows to challenge her position. With just a tenth of a second between second and fourth, Krevsun fell behind the Kenyan and British athletes, who ended up with the silver and bronze medals. [6]

Semenya's victory was one of the focal points of the championship, not just because of her achievement on the track at such a young age, but also because of the events that followed. Having beaten her previous 800 m best by four seconds at the African Junior Championships just a month earlier, [7] her quick improvements came under scrutiny. The combination of her rapid athletic progression and her appearance culminated in the IAAF asking her to take a gender test to ascertain whether she was female. [8] A number of South African governing bodies came to the defence of Semenya, saying the athlete had been treated unfairly, [9] [10] [11] and world record holder Michael Johnson was highly critical of the way that the sensitive issue had been dealt with publicly. [12]

Medalists

GoldSilverBronze
Caster Semenya
Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa  (RSA)
Janeth Jepkosgei Busienei
Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya  (KEN)
Jenny Meadows
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain & N.I.  (GBR)

Records

World record Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Jarmila Kratochvílová  (TCH)1:53.28 Munich, West Germany 26 July 1983
Championship record Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Jarmila Kratochvílová  (TCH)1:54.68 Helsinki, Finland 9 August 1983
World leadingFlag of South Africa.svg  Caster Semenya  (RSA)1:55.45 Berlin, Germany 19 August 2009
African record Flag of Kenya.svg  Pamela Jelimo  (KEN)1:54.01 Zürich, Switzerland 29 August 2008
Asian record Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  Liu Dong  (CHN)1:55.54 Beijing, China 9 September 1993
North American record Flag of Cuba.svg  Ana Fidelia Quirot  (CUB)1:54.44 Barcelona, Spain 9 September 1989
South American record Flag of Suriname.svg  Letitia Vriesde  (SUR)1:56.68 Gothenburg, Sweden 13 August 1995
European record Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Jarmila Kratochvílová  (TCH)1:53.28Munich, West Germany26 July 1983
Oceanian record Flag of New Zealand.svg  Toni Hodgkinson  (NZL)1:58.25 Atlanta, United States 27 July 1996

Qualification standards

A timeB time
2:00.002:01.30

Schedule

DateTimeRound
16 August 200910:10 Heats
17 August 200919:30 Semi-finals
19 August 200921:35 Final

Results

Heats

Qualification: First 3 in each heat(Q) and the next 6 fastest(q) advance to the semi-finals.

RankHeatNameNationalityTimeNotes
13 Yuliya Krevsun Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine  (UKR)2:02.20Q
24 Elisa Cusma Piccione Flag of Italy.svg  Italy  (ITA)2:02.33Q
26 Zulia Calatayud Flag of Cuba.svg  Cuba  (CUB)2:02.33Q
44 Anna Rostkowska Flag of Poland.svg  Poland  (POL)2:02.37Q
54 Halima Hachlaf Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco  (MAR)2:02.46Q
63 Jenny Meadows Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain & N.I.  (GBR)2:02.47Q
74 Elena Kofanova Flag of Russia.svg  Russia  (RUS)2:02.49q
81 Caster Semenya Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa  (RSA)2:02.51Q
91 Geena Gall Flag of the United States.svg  United States  (USA)2:02.63Q
103 Hazel Clark Flag of the United States.svg  United States  (USA)2:02.67Q
116 Hasna Benhassi Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco  (MAR)2:02.83Q
121 Tetyana Petlyuk Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine  (UKR)2:02.87Q
133 Lucia Klocová Flag of Slovakia.svg  Slovakia  (SVK)2:02.98q
146 Marilyn Okoro Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain & N.I.  (GBR)2:03.07Q
152 Mariya Savinova Flag of Russia.svg  Russia  (RUS)2:03.27Q
164 Lenka Masná Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic  (CZE)2:03.32q
172 Jemma Simpson Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain & N.I.  (GBR)2:03.33Q
182 Mayte Martínez Flag of Spain.svg  Spain  (ESP)2:03.39Q
196 Svetlana Klyuka Flag of Russia.svg  Russia  (RUS)2:03.40q
205 Pamela Jelimo Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya  (KEN)2:03.50Q
212 Élodie Guégan Flag of France.svg  France  (FRA)2:03.87q
223 Marian Burnett Flag of Guyana.svg  Guyana  (GUY)2:03.89q
231 Olga Cristea Flag of Moldova.svg  Moldova  (MDA)2:03.99
245 Maggie Vessey Flag of the United States.svg  United States  (USA)2:04.07Q
252 Irina Krakoviak Flag of Lithuania.svg  Lithuania  (LTU)2:04.26
262 Elena Mirela Lavric Flag of Romania.svg  Romania  (ROM)2:04.49
275 Kenia Sinclair Flag of Jamaica.svg  Jamaica  (JAM)2:04.52Q
281 Neisha Bernard-Thomas Flag of Grenada.svg  Grenada  (GRN)2:04.55
295 Rosibel García Flag of Colombia.svg  Colombia  (COL)2:04.73
305 Jana Hartmann Flag of Germany.svg  Germany  (GER)2:04.99
311 Madeleine Pape Flag of Australia.svg  Australia  (AUS)2:05.85
326 Daniela Reina Flag of Italy.svg  Italy  (ITA)2:06.30
334 Eleni Filandra Flag of Greece.svg  Greece  (GRE)2:06.39
346 Anabelle Lascar Flag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius  (MRI)2:06.53SB
355 Nataliia Lupu Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine  (UKR)2:06.74
362 Leonor Piuza Flag of Mozambique.svg  Mozambique  (MOZ)2:08.08
375 Salome Dell Flag of Papua New Guinea.svg  Papua New Guinea  (PNG)2:08.22
381 Janeth Jepkosgei Busienei Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya  (KEN)2:12.81qR
393 Yeliz Kurt Flag of Turkey.svg  Turkey  (TUR)2:13.42
404 Natalia Gallego Flag of Andorra.svg  Andorra  (AND)2:18.75
413 Aishath Reesha Flag of Maldives.svg  Maldives  (MDV)2:28.00 NR
426 Nikki Hamblin Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand  (NZL)2:31.94
3 Sanaa Abubkheet Flag of Palestine.svg  Palestine  (PLE)DQ

Key: NR = National record, Q = qualification by place in heat, q = qualification by overall place, SB = Seasonal best

Semi-finals

Janeth Jepkosgei was tripped in the first round heats, and after protest by the Kenyan Federation, was added to the semi-finals; she will run in lane 7 of heat 2 along with Hazel Clark. The ruling was that the trip was accidental, by Caster Semenya, who was therefore not disqualified. [13]

Qualification: First 2 in each semifinals(Q) and the next 2 fastest(q) advance to the final.

RankHeatNameNationalityTimeNotes
12 Caster Semenya Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa  (RSA)1:58.66Q
21 Mariya Savinova Flag of Russia.svg  Russia  (RUS)1:59.30Q
31 Yuliya Krevsun Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine  (UKR)1:59.38Q
42 Jenny Meadows Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain & N.I.  (GBR)1:59.45Q
52 Janeth Jepkosgei Busienei Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya  (KEN)1:59.47q
61 Mayte Martínez Flag of Spain.svg  Spain  (ESP)1:59.72q, SB
72 Hazel Clark Flag of the United States.svg  United States  (USA)1:59.96SB
81 Hasna Benhassi Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco  (MAR)2:00.06
92 Svetlana Klyuka Flag of Russia.svg  Russia  (RUS)2:00.48
101 Jemma Simpson Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain & N.I.  (GBR)2:00.57
113 Elisa Cusma Piccione Flag of Italy.svg  Italy  (ITA)2:00.62Q
122 Tetyana Petlyuk Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine  (UKR)2:00.90
133 Marilyn Okoro Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain & N.I.  (GBR)2:01.01Q
141 Geena Gall Flag of the United States.svg  United States  (USA)2:01.30
153 Anna Rostkowska Flag of Poland.svg  Poland  (POL)2:01.40
161 Zulia Calatayud Flag of Cuba.svg  Cuba  (CUB)2:01.53
172 Lucia Klocová Flag of Slovakia.svg  Slovakia  (SVK)2:01.56
183 Elena Kofanova Flag of Russia.svg  Russia  (RUS)2:02.02
193 Kenia Sinclair Flag of Jamaica.svg  Jamaica  (JAM)2:02.31
203 Lenka Masná Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic  (CZE)2:02.55
212 Marian Burnett Flag of Guyana.svg  Guyana  (GUY)2:02.75
223 Maggie Vessey Flag of the United States.svg  United States  (USA)2:03.55
231 Élodie Guégan Flag of France.svg  France  (FRA)2:04.38
2 Halima Hachlaf Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco  (MAR)DNF
3 Pamela Jelimo Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya  (KEN)DNF

Final

Caster Semenya won her first World Championship gold medal despite a controversial build up 20090819 Caster Semenya.jpg
Caster Semenya won her first World Championship gold medal despite a controversial build up
RankNameNationalityTimeNotes
Gold medal icon.svg Caster Semenya Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa  (RSA)1:55.45WL
Silver medal icon.svg Janeth Jepkosgei Busienei Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya  (KEN)1:57.90SB
Bronze medal icon.svg Jenny Meadows Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain & N.I.  (GBR)1:57.93PB
4 Yuliya Krevsun Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine  (UKR)1:58.00SB
5 Mariya Savinova Flag of Russia.svg  Russia  (RUS)1:58.68
6 Elisa Cusma Piccione Flag of Italy.svg  Italy  (ITA)1:58.81SB
7 Mayte Martinez Flag of Spain.svg  Spain  (ESP)1:58.81SB
8 Marilyn Okoro Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain & N.I.  (GBR)2:00.31

Key: PB = Personal best, SB = Seasonal best, WL = World leading (in a given season)

References

  1. Ramsak, Bob (2009-08-09). Women's 800m - PREVIEW Archived 2009-08-13 at the Wayback Machine . IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-08-17.
  2. 800 Metres 2009. IAAF (2009-08-16). Retrieved on 2009-08-17.
  3. Jepkosgei wins appeal to compete after tumbling out in heats [ usurped ]. The Standard (2009-08-16). Retrieved on 2009-08-17.
  4. Ramsak, Bob (2009-08-16). Event Report - Women's 800 Metres - Heats Archived 2009-08-19 at the Wayback Machine . IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-08-17.
  5. Ramsak, Bob (2009-08-17). Event Report - Women's 800m - Semi-Final Archived 2012-03-25 at the Wayback Machine . IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-08-18.
  6. Ramsak, Bob (2009-08-19).Event Report - Women's 800m - Final. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-08-22. Archived 2009-09-08.
  7. Ouma, Mark (2009-07-31). South African teen Semenya stuns with 1:56.72 800m World lead in Bambous - African junior champs, Day 2. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-08-22. Archived 2009-09-08.
  8. Smith, David (2009-08-20). Caster Semenya sex row: 'She's my little girl,' says father. The Guardian . Retrieved on 2009-08-22.
  9. Kessel, Anna (2009-08-19). Gold medal athlete Caster Semenya told to prove she is a woman. The Guardian . Retrieved on 2009-08-22.
  10. Watson, Claire (2009-08-19). Semenya 'humiliated' by gender test. The Independent . Retrieved on 2009-08-22. Archived 2009-09-08.
  11. Semenya 'almost boycotted medal'. BBC Sport (2009-08-21). Retrieved on 2009-08-22.
  12. Semenya told to take gender test. BBC Sport (2009-08-19). Retrieved on 2009-08-22.
  13. 800 metres semi-finals startlist Archived 2012-08-15 at the Wayback Machine . IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-08-17.