Athletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Women's 1500 metres explained

Event:Women's 1500 metres
Games:2000 Summer
Venue:Stadium Australia
Date:27 September 2000 (heats)
29 September 2000 (semi-finals)
30 September 2000 (final)
Competitors:42
Nations:28
Win Value:4:05.10
Longnames:yes
Gold:Nouria Mérah-Benida
Goldnoc:ALG
Silver:Violeta Szekely
Silvernoc:ROM
Bronze:Gabriela Szabo
Bronzenoc:ROM
Prev:1996
Next:2004

The Women's 1500 metres at the 2000 Summer Olympics as part of the athletics programme was held at Stadium Australia on Wednesday 27 September, Thursday 28 September, and Saturday 30 September 2000. There were a total number of 43 participating athletes.[1]

The winning margin was 0.05 seconds which as of 2023 remains the only time the women's Olympic 1500 metres has been won by less than 0.1 seconds.

The top six runners in each of the initial three heats automatically qualified for the semi-final. The next six fastest runners from across the heats also qualified for the semi-final. The top five runners in each semi-final automatically qualified for the final. The next two fastest runners from across the heats also qualified for the final.

The last lap was the battleground for this final. Going into this lap, Portugal's Carla Sacramento held the lead, with Poland's Lidia Chojecka on the outside and America's Suzy Favor-Hamilton edging ahead on the inside. Over the next 200 metres, Favor-Hamilton edged ahead of Sacramento while a pack of six formed behind, led by Algeria's Nouria Mérah-Benida. Favor-Hamilton held the lead around the turn as Mérah-Benida moved to her shoulder. As the final straightaway neared, Favor-Hamilton looked at her feet expecting her usual final acceleration. It was not there, as first Mérah-Benida went by, followed by the other Polish runner, Anna Jakubczak, and then Chojecka and Romania's Violeta Szekely. After a small gap, Ethiopia's Kutre Dulecha went by Favor-Hamilton, who then crashed to the track untouched. Years later, Favor-Hamilton admitted that the fall was deliberate, as she realised that she was not going to win.[2] As a result, she finished in last place.

At the head of the straightaway, Mérah-Benida opened up a clear lead over the two Polish runners. Moving out to lane 3, Szekely ran around Jakubczak and Chojecka, with Dulecha following in her wake. With speed, suddenly Mérah-Benida's lead started to shrink. The Algerian runner was tiring fast, but she managed to hold off Szekely's furious charge, crossing the line 0.05 seconds ahead. All the way down the straightaway, Dulecha looked like she would hold on for the bronze – but from last place with 200 metres to go, Gabriela Szabo came sprinting down the outside to take the medal, meaning that there were two Romanians on the podium. Only 0.23 seconds separated the first four runners – but none of them were directly battling the others, each taking a different pace and path to the tight finish.

Records

World Record3:50.46Yunxia QuChinaBeijing, China11 September 1993
Olympic Record3:53.96Paula IvanRomaniaSeoul, South Korea1 October 1988

Results

All times shown are in seconds.

Qualifying heats

Round 1

Heat 1 of 3
Date: Wednesday 27 September 2000
Place Athlete NationLaneTimeQual.Record
HeatOverall
11Suzy Favor Hamilton154:08.08Q
22Anna Jakubczak14:08.13Q
33Gabriela Szabo144:08.33Q
44Süreyya Ayhan54:08.37Q
55Carla Sacramento124:08.41Q
66Helen Pattinson74:08:80 Q
77Margaret Crowley134:08.85q
88Anita Weyermann64:09.28q
99Lyudmila Rogachova94:09.81q
1012Mardrea Hyman44:10.21q
1133Abebech Negussie24:15.52
1235Julia Sakara34:21.94
1336Tetyana Kryvobok114:22.11
1440Shazia Hidayat85:07.17
Leah Pells10DNF
Heat 2 of 3
Date: Wednesday 27 September 2000
Place Athlete NationLaneTimeQual.Record
HeatOverall
111Violeta Szekely114:10.18Q
214Lidia Chojecka104:10.34Q
315Kelly Holmes64:10.38Q
417Veerle Dejaeghere24:10.68Q
518Sabine Fischer134:10.78 Q
61984:10:82Q
720Marla Runyan34:10.83q
824Georgie Clarke14:11.74q
928Toni Hodgkinson94:12.59
1031Naomi Mugo74:13.18
1132Hareg Sidelil54:14.05
1237Natalia Rodriguez44:22.82
1338Daniela Kuleska144:33.50
Svetlana Masterkova12 DNF
Heat 3 of 3
Date: Wednesday 27 September 2000
Place Athlete NationLaneTimeQual.Record
HeatOverall
110Kutre Dulecha44:09.88Q
213Nouria Mérah-Benida14:10.24Q
316Hayley Tullett54:10.58Q
421Elena Iagăr84:11.35Q
522134:11.46 Q
62364:11:57Q
725Sinead Delahunty144:11.75
826Fatma Lanouar114:11.87
927Shayne Culpepper124:12.52
1029Natalya Gorelova94:12.84
113034:12.90
1234Helena Javornik104:18.18
1339Silvia Felipo24:45.32
Hasna Benhassi7DNS

Overall Results Round 1

Round 1
Overall Results
Place Athlete NationHeatLanePlaceTimeQual.Record
1Suzy Favor Hamilton1 1514:08.08Q
2Anna Jakubczak11 24:08.13Q
3Gabriela Szabo11434:08.33Q
4Süreyya Ayhan1544:08.37Q
5Carla Sacramento11254:08.41Q
6Helen Pattinson1764:08.80Q
7Margaret Crowley11374:08.85q
8Anita Weyermann1684:09.28q
9Lyudmila Rogachova1994:09.81q
10Kutre Dulecha3414:09.88Q
11Violeta Szekely21114:10.18Q
12Mardrea Hyman14104:10.21q
13Nouria Mérah-Benida3124:10.24Q
14Lidia Chojecka21024:10.34 Q
15Kelly Holmes2634:10.38Q
16 Hayley Tullett3534:10.58Q
17Veerle Dejaeghere2244:10.68Q
18Sabine Fischer21354:10.78Q
192864:10.82Q
20Marla Runyan2374:10.83q
21Elena Iagăr3844:11.35Q
2231354:11.46Q
233664:11.57Q
24Georgie Clarke2184:11.74q
25Sinead Delahunty31474:11.75
26Fatma Lanouar31184:11.87
27Shayne Culpepper31294:12.62
28Toni Hodgkinson2994:12.59
29Natalya Gorelova39104:12.84
3033114:12.90
31Naomi Mugo27104:13.18
32Hareg Sidelil25114:14.05
33Abebech Negussie12114:15.52
34Helena Javornik310124:18:18
35Julia Sakara13124:21.94
36Tetyana Kryvobok111134:22.11
37Natalia Rodriguez24124:22.82
38Daniela Kuleska214134:33.50
39Silvia Felipo32134:45.32
40Shazia Hidayat18145:07.17
Svetlana Masterkova212DNF
Leah Pells110DNF
Hasna Benhassi3 7DNS

Semi-finals

Heat 1 of 2
Date: Thursday 28 September 2000
Place Athlete NationLaneTimeQual.Record
HeatOverall
11Nouria Mérah-Benida64:05.24Q
22Suzy Favor Hamilton24:05.25Q
33Hayley Tullett14:05.34Q
44Kelly Holmes104:05.35QSB
55Lidia Chojecka124:05.78Q
66Marla Runyan14:06:14 qSB
78Sabine Fischer44:06.67q
815Margaret Crowley34:09.16
916Lyudmila Rogachova54:09.18
101994:10.92
112284:14.57
1223Elena Iagăr34:21.94
Heat 2 of 2
Date: Thursday 28 September 2000
Place Athlete NationLaneTimeQual.Record
HeatOverall
17Violeta Szekely84:06.60Q
29Kutre Dulecha34:06.78Q
310Anna Jakubczak114:07.03Q SB
411Gabriela Szabo124:07.38Q
512Carla Sacramento74:07.65 Q
613Veerle Dejaeghere24:07:87
71464:09.11
817Süreyya Ayhan104:09.42
918Helen Pattinson44:09.60
1020Georgie Clarke14:10.99
1121Mardrea Hyman54:14.20
1224Anita Weyermann94:30.80

Overall Results Semi-finals

Round 1
Overall Results
Place Athlete NationHeatLanePlaceTimeQual.Record
1Nouria Mérah-Benida161 4:05.24Q
2Suzy Favor Hamilton12 24:05.25Q
3Hayley Tullett1134:05.34Q
4Kelly Holmes11044:05.35QSB
5Lidia Chojecka11254:05.78Q
6Marla Runyan11164:16.14qSB
7Violeta Szekely2814:06.60Q
8Sabine Fischer1474:06.67q
9Kutre Dulecha2324:06.78Q
10Anna Jakubczak21134:07.03QSB
11Gabriela Szabo21244:07.38Q
12Carla Sacramento2754:07.65Q
13Veerle Dejaeghere2264:07.87
142674:09.11
15Margaret Crowley1384:09.16
16 Lyudmila Rogachova1594:09.18
17Süreyya Ayhan21084:09.42
18Helen Pattinson2494:09.60
1919104:10.92
20Georgie Clarke21104:10.99
21Mardrea Hyman25114:14.20
2211184:14.57
23Elena Iagăr17124:14.75
24Anita Weyermann29124:30.80

Final

Date: Saturday 30 September 2000
Place Athlete NationLaneTimeRecord
Nouria Mérah-Benida84:05.10
Violeta Szekely4 4:05.15
Gabriela Szabo114:05.27
4Kutre Dulecha54:05.33
5Lidia Chojecka24:06.42
6Anna Jakubczak94:06.49SB
7Kelly Holmes124:08.02
8Marla Runyan104:08.30
9Sabine Fischer74:08.84
10Carla Sacramento14:11.15
11Hayley Tullett64:22.29
12 Suzy Favor Hamilton34:23.05

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Athletics at the 2000 Sydney Games: Women's 1500 metres . https://web.archive.org/web/20200417174055/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/2000/ATH/womens-1500-metres.html . dead . 17 April 2020 . 3 November 2017 . sports-reference.com.
  2. Web site: Hegarty . Stephanie . Should athletes prepare for defeat? . . 30 July 2012 . 20 December 2012.