Continuing one of the most spectacular rises from obscurity that the sport has witnessed in recent years, Kenyan teenager Pamela Jelimo ran away with the Olympic 800m title tonight in Beijing.

With the year’s five fastest performances and with eight victories in as many races this season, Jelimo was the overwhelming favourite to take the gold, and she hardly disappointed, clocking 1:54.87, her fourth World junior record of the summer. Notably, the 18-year-old claimed the first ever Olympic gold medal for Kenya in an event she first contested on the 19 April this year.

“It makes me very happy to be the first for Kenya,” said Jelimo. “I’m still young and I’m looking forward to doing better. Maybe I can be the best again.”

In Olympic lore, she made an immediate impact. She succeeded 1968 champion Madeline Manning as the youngest-ever champion and her performance has only been bettered by two women in Olympic competition, Nadezhda Olizarenko and Olga Mineyeva of the Soviet Union, who ran 1:53.43 (then a World record) and 1:54.81, respectively, at the 1980 Games in Moscow.

Her Kenyan team-mate Janeth Jepkosgei, the reigning World champion, took the lead from the outset, with Jelimo tucking in behind her immediately, with Jamaican Kenia Sinclair a step behind.

In her fifth consecutive Olympic final, 2000 gold medallist Maria Mutola settled into fourth, but initially allowed the trio to gap her by a few metres, a slight miscue which may have cost the 35-year-old Mozambican later in the race.

Jelimo assumed the lead just before the bell (55.41) and picked up her tempo through the turn to jump to a substantial lead, one which she extended through the final bend. Throughout it all, Jepkosgei remained in hot pursuit but never managed to gain any ground. Meanwhile, Mutola began making up ground on Sinclair down the back straight, and passed her on the turn.

But on the outside, defending silver medallist Hasna Benhassi closed fast and accelerated towards the homestretch to again challenge for silver. She couldn’t quite catch Jepkosgei who reached the line in 1:56.07, but the Moroccan did secure third in 1:56.73, fending off Russian Svetlana Klyuka (1:56.94).

"The race was very fast," said Benhassi, who was eighth at the 2000 Sydney Games. "I had no time to think. The only thing I could do was run and run." 

Mutola had to settle for fifth in her last Olympic Games, clocking a season’s best 1:57.68, with Sinclair sixth (1:58.24).

“I’m pleased,” said Mutola, “but it would have been better if I could have finished on the podium. But you know, I did my best.”

Ukrainian Yuliya Krevsun was a few steps back in seventh (1:58.73) while Russian No. 2, Tatiana Andrianova (2:02.63), struggled throughout and was never a threat.

Bob Ramsak for the IAAF

In a series of three brutally competitive semifinals, the key protagonists survived to move on to Monday evening’s final.

Winning the second heat was world leader Pamela Jelimo, who arrived in the Chinese capital as a strong favourite for gold in just her fourth month of running the event. Striding confidently, she appeared no worse for the wear after cruising to a sub-1:58 run. 

Heat three went to Jelimo’s Kenyan compatriot, Janeth Jepkosgei, who electrified the event last year en route to her World title in Osaka. Holding back a strong closing challenge, she too seemed intent on sending just one more message to her younger protege.  

And attracting most of the attention in the opening heat was 2000 Olympic champion Maria Mutola, whose second place finish ensured the 35-year-old her fifth consecutive Olympic final appearance in the final year of her legendary career.

Despite their international success, Kenyan women have never won Olympic track gold. Women from the east African powerhouse have never even reached an 800m final. Now, they have managed to build a strong case to take both gold and silver.

In yesterday’s opening round, Jelimo sat back in a race for the first time all summer. In semi 2, the 18-year-old looked much more comfortable in her element: running aggressively from the front. Svetlana Usovich of Belarus briefly gave chase but soon after taking the bell in 57.93, Jelimo upped the tempo to charge foward alone where she is most at home. After stopping the clock in 1:57.31, the World junior record holder was barely winded. 

The crowded chase pack behind her predictably caused some problems, most significantly to Usovich who was knocked out of contention when Briton Jenny Meadows stepped on the back of her shoe. Illustrating her experience, Hasna Benhassi stayed near the back of the pack, choosing not to forge ahead until the middle of the final turn. Swinging wide, the Moroccan closed powerfully to reach the line in 1:58.03, second to Jelimo. Russian Ekaterina Kostetskaya was third in 1:58.33, eventually missing the final by just 0.05 seconds. The race also claimed the comeback hopes of 2005 World champion Zulia Calatayud of Cuba, who was a distant fourth in 1:58.78.

Like her compatriot, Jepkoskei took the lead from the outset, and was soon pursued by a two-pronged Caribbean attack comprised of Grenada’s Neisha Bernard-Thomas and Jamaican Kenia Sinclair with Russian Tatyana Andrianova fourth. Jepkosgei reached the bell in 56.10, the fastest opening lap of semis. With just over 200 metres to go, Andrianova began her attack and moved past Bernard-Thomas, with Ukrainian Yuliya Krevsun tagging along, knocking the Grenadian out of contention.

Despite a slight slip midway through the final bend, Krevsun continued to increase her tempo and first moved by Andrianova, and then continued her pursuit of Jepkosgei. The Kenyan took the win in 1:57.28, followed by Krevsun just 0.04 seconds behind for the automatic qualifying spots. Andrianova (1:58.16) and Sinclair (1:58.28) will also advance as the next two fastest. For the Russian, it will be her second straight Olympic final – she was fifth in Athens four years ago – and for Sinclair, the 2006 Commonwealth and World indoor silver medallist, her first in her Olympic debut.

In heat one, it was Slovenia’s Brigita Langerholc who took the lead from the gun, with Russian Svetlana Klyuka and Briton Marilyn Okoro in tow, with Mutola sitting comfortably in fourth. As the trio entered the homestraight for the first time, Ukrainian Tetiana Petlyuk, running on the outside, gradually moved up to join the leaders at the bell.

Hoping to steal the race, Klyuka made her bid for the lead with 300 metres to go, with Petlyuk in hot pursuit. But in a rough and tumble exchange, Klyuka stumbled when making contact with Mutola who began to make her move as well. Mutola kept her balance and continued on nearly without missing a beat, but couldn’t catch Klyuka who stopped the clock in 1:58.31, 0.3 seconds ahead of the Mozambican. Slovak Lucia Klocova passed the fading Petlyuk to finish third (1:58.80), but not fast enough to reach the final.
 
Bob Ramsak for the IAAF

2008 breakout sensation Pamela Jelimo made her eagerly anticipated Olympic debut, and she did it by barely breaking a sweat. No, not an easy task in the morning’s hot and humid conditions.

But the World junior record holder and fastest in the field at 1:54.97 did make her victory in the third of six opening round heats appear quite effortless. The 18-year-old clocked 2:03.18 to get her Olympic quest underway, just four months after taking up the event. Perhaps the most difficult aspect of the race for Jelimo, whose strong front-running is already a trademark, was to keep herself from running too fast.

Running just a step behind Kenia Sinclair of Jamaica and Croatian Vanja Perisic at the bell, Jelimo made her decisive move to the front just beyond the 600 metre point. Sinclair (2:03.76) held on for secod with Frenchwoman Elodie Guegan coming through for third in 2:03.85 to move on as well.

The fastest performance of the morning belonged to the woman Jelimo succeeded as African record holder, 2000 Olympic champion Maria Mutola. Contesting her sixth consecutive and final Olympic Games, the 35-year-old illustrated that she’s still very much a force to be reckoned with a solid performance in heat 4.

World indoor champion Tamsyn Lewis took early command and brought the field through the half in 57.93, with Neisha Bernard-Thomas and Slovak Lucia Klocova close on her heels. Mutola took a brief turn with the lead as the leaders entered the final turn, with Briton Marilyn Okoro moving to the front just a few strides later.

Mutola retook the front midway through the final stretch to reach the line in 1:58.91, with Okoro (1:59.01) and Klocova (1:59.42) advancing by right, and Lewis (1:59.67) and Bernard-Thomas (2:00.09) by time, the latter with a national record for Grenada.

Heat 6 went to Janeth Jepkosgei, whom Jelimo succeeded as gold medal favourite. Reminiscent of her races in Osaka last summer where she cruised to World championships gold, the 25-year-old Kenyan took the lead from the gun and went on to win comfortably in 1:59.72. In a blanket finish to collect the final two automatic qualifying spots, Tetiana Petlyuk of Ukraine (2:00.00) held off Slovenia’s Brigita Langerholc (2:00.13), with Egle Balciunaite of Lithuania (2:00.15) and Italian record holder Elisa Cusma Piccione (2:00.24) advancing to tomorrow’s semi-final as well.

Likewise, 2005 World champion Zulia Calatayud decided on a front-running approach with her victory in Heat 5. She edged fast closing Moraccan Hasna Benhassi, the reigning Olympic silver medallist, 2:00.34 to 3:00.51, with Ekaterina Kostetskaya (2:00.54) and Olga Cristea (2:00.59) of Moldova advancing as well.

Sviatlana Usovich of Belarus took the initial lead in Heat 2, controlling the tempo through a 58.53 first 400m. Yuliya Krevsun (2:00.21)of Ukraine moved up and into strong position as the field entered the backstretch, shadowed by Russian Tatiana Andrianova (2:00.31). With the pair en route to spots 1 and 2, Briton Jenny Meadows closed strongly to finish third (2:00.33) after passing the fading Usovich who manged to advance on time.

After running at the front from the outset, Russian Svetlana Klyuka easily fought off a small handful of challengers to win the opening heat in 2:01.67, with Colombian Rosibel Garcia (2:01.98) and Pole Anna Rostkowska (2:02.16) advancing as well.

The biggest casualty of the opening round was U.S. champion Hazel Clark, who after mixing with the leaders for about two-thirds of the fifth heat, faded badly down the stretch to finish fifth. Briton Jemma Simpson, fourth in Heat 1, was also left behind.

Bob Ramsak for the IAAF