Nike Pre Classic: Aregawi leads stellar women's 1,500m field for May 31,

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Abeba Aregawi leads Jenny Simpson, Moscow 2013,

photo by PhotoRun.net

Aregawi leads the charge

EUGENE (USA): Recently the Prefontaine Classic was proud to announce their best ever field for the iconic Bowerman mile. Organisers of the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Eugene have now matched it with their ‘best ever’ field in the women’s 1500m on May 31. Abeba Aregawi is best in the world by many measures. Last year she also won the IAAF Diamond Trophy after ending the season undefeated in her specialist event. The Swede has the fastest personal best in the field at 3:56.54. USA’s Jenny Simpson won gold at the 2011 World Championships and claimed silver in Moscow last year behind Aregawi. Last year’s Pre Classic winner, Hellen Obiri, not only set a stadium record of 3:58.58, but she also set a US all-comers’ record. Fellow Kenyan Faith Kipyegon has a unique collection of gold medals. She won the 2011 world youth and 2012 world junior titles with championship records and owns world junior cross-country titles from 2011 and 2013. Another Kenyan, 2008 Olympic champion Nancy Langat, was the initial Diamond Trophy winner in this event in 2010. The 800 m World champion Eunice Sum is also entered. USA’s Brenda Martinez is another World Championships medallist in the 800m with world-class 1500m talent. Still just a teenager, 19-year-old Axumawit Embaye of Ethiopia earned the silver medal at last month’s IAAF World Indoor Championships, making her the youngest medallist in Sopot. Britain’s 2011 world silver medallist Hannah England and five-time US champion Treniere Moser are also in the field.

Jenny Simpson, Drake 2013, photo by PhotoRun.net

Author

Larry Eder
Larry Eder has had a 52-year involvement in the sport of athletics. Larry has experienced the sport as an athlete, coach, magazine publisher, and now, journalist and blogger. His first article, on Don Bowden, America's first sub-4 minute miler, was published in RW in 1983. Larry has published several magazines on athletics, from American Athletics to the U.S. version of Spikes magazine. He currently manages the content and marketing development of the RunningNetwork, The Shoe Addicts, and RunBlogRun. Of RunBlogRun, his daily pilgrimage with the sport, Larry says: "I have to admit, I love traveling to far away meets, writing about the sport I love, and the athletes I respect, for my readers at runblogrun.com, the most of anything I have ever done, except, maybe running itself." Also does some updates for BBC Sports at key events, which he truly enjoys. Theme song: Greg Allman, " I'm no Angel."
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