2009 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 800 metres

None Women's 800 metres 2009 World Championships Olympic Stadium 16 August (heats)17 August (semifinals)19 August (final) 43 32 1:55.45 Caster Semenya ZAF 2011 World Janeth JepkosgeiKEN 2011 World Jenny MeadowsGBR 2011 World 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. 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.Ramsak, Bob (2009-08-09). Women's 800m - PREVIEW https://web.archive.org/web/20090813104148/http://berlin.iaaf.org/news/kind%3D109/newsid%3D52547.html 2009-08-13 . IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-08-17.800 Metres 2009. IAAF (2009-08-16). Retrieved on 2009-08-17. 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.Jepkosgei wins appeal to compete after tumbling out in heats. The Standard (2009-08-16). Retrieved on 2009-08-17. Yuliya Krevsun, Elisa Cusma Piccione, and Zulia Calatayud were the fastest of the heat winners on the first day of competition.Ramsak, Bob (2009-08-16). Event Report - Women's 800 Metres - Heats https://web.archive.org/web/20090819025418/http://berlin.iaaf.org/news/kind%3D108/newsid%3D52920.html 2009-08-19 . IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-08-17. 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.Ramsak, Bob (2009-08-17). Event Report - Women's 800m - Semi-Final https://web.archive.org/web/20120325205849/http://berlin.iaaf.org/news/kind%3D108/newsid%3D53103.html 2012-03-25 . IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-08-18. 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.Ramsak, Bob (2009-08-19).Event Report - Women's 800m - Final. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-08-22. Archived 2009-09-08. 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,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. 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.Smith, David (2009-08-20). Caster Semenya sex row: 'She's my little girl,' says father. The Guardian. Retrieved on 2009-08-22. A number of South African governing bodies came to the defence of Semenya, saying the athlete had been treated unfairly,Kessel, Anna (2009-08-19). Gold medal athlete Caster Semenya told to prove she is a woman. The Guardian. Retrieved on 2009-08-22.Watson, Claire (2009-08-19). Semenya 'humiliated' by gender test. The Independent. Retrieved on 2009-08-22. Archived 2009-09-08.Semenya 'almost boycotted medal'. BBC Sport (2009-08-21). Retrieved on 2009-08-22. and world record holder Michael Johnson was highly critical of the way that the sensitive issue had been dealt with publicly.Semenya told to take gender test. BBC Sport (2009-08-19). Retrieved on 2009-08-22. Medalists GoldSilverBronzeCaster SemenyaSouth Africa 2009 WorldJaneth Jepkosgei BusieneiKenya 2009 WorldJenny Meadows Great Britain 2009 World Records World recordJarmila Kratochvílová TCH1:53.28Munich, West Germany26 July 1983Championship recordJarmila Kratochvílová TCH1:54.68Helsinki, Finland9 August 1983World leadingCaster Semenya RSA1:55.45Berlin, Germany19 August 2009African recordPamela Jelimo KEN1:54.01Zürich, Switzerland29 August 2008Asian recordLiu Dong CHN1:55.54Beijing, China9 September 1993North American recordAna Fidelia Quirot CUB1:54.44Barcelona, Spain9 September 1989South American recordLetitia Vriesde SUR1:56.68Gothenburg, Sweden13 August 1995European recordJarmila Kratochvílová TCH1:53.28Munich, West Germany26 July 1983Oceanian recordToni Hodgkinson NZL1:58.25Atlanta, United States27 July 1996 Qualification standards A timeB time 2:00.00 2:01.30 Schedule Date Time Round16 August 2009 10:10 Heats17 August 2009 19:30 Semi-finals19 August 2009 21:35 Final Results Heats Qualification: First 3 in each heat(Q) and the next 6 fastest(q) advance to the semi-finals. Rank Heat Name Nationality Time Notes 01 1 3 Yuliya Krevsun Ukraine 2009 World 2:02.20 Q 02 2 4 Elisa Cusma Piccione Italy 2009 World 2:02.33 Q 02 2 6 Zulia Calatayud Cuba 2009 World 2:02.33 Q 04 4 4 Anna Rostkowska Poland 2009 World 2:02.37 Q 05 5 4 Halima Hachlaf Morocco 2009 World 2:02.46 Q 06 6 3 Jenny Meadows Great Britain 2009 World 2:02.47 Q 07 7 4 Elena Kofanova Russia 2009 World 2:02.49 q 08 8 1 Caster Semenya South Africa 2009 World 2:02.51 Q 09 9 1 Geena Gall United States 2009 World 2:02.63 Q 10 3 Hazel Clark United States 2009 World 2:02.67 Q 11 6 Hasna Benhassi Morocco 2009 World 2:02.83 Q 12 1 Tetyana Petlyuk Ukraine 2009 World 2:02.87 Q 13 3 Lucia Klocová Slovakia 2009 World 2:02.98 q 14 6 Marilyn Okoro Great Britain 2009 World 2:03.07 Q 15 2 Mariya Savinova Russia 2009 World 2:03.27 Q 16 4 Lenka Masná Czech Republic 2009 World 2:03.32 q 17 2 Jemma Simpson Great Britain 2009 World 2:03.33 Q 18 2 Mayte Martínez Spain 2009 World 2:03.39 Q 19 6 Svetlana Klyuka Russia 2009 World 2:03.40 q 20 5 Pamela Jelimo Kenya 2009 World 2:03.50 Q 21 2 Élodie Guégan France 2009 World 2:03.87 q 22 3 Marian Burnett Guyana 2009 World 2:03.89 q 23 1 Olga Cristea Moldova 2009 World 2:03.99 24 5 Maggie Vessey United States 2009 World 2:04.07 Q 25 2 Irina Krakoviak Lithuania 2009 World 2:04.26 26 2 Elena Mirela Lavric Romania 2009 World 2:04.49 27 5 Kenia Sinclair Jamaica 2009 World 2:04.52 Q 28 1 Neisha Bernard-Thomas Grenada 2009 World 2:04.55 29 5 Rosibel García Colombia 2009 World 2:04.73 30 5 Jana Hartmann Germany 2009 World 2:04.99 31 1 Madeleine Pape Australia 2009 World 2:05.85 32 6 Daniela Reina Italy 2009 World 2:06.30 33 4 Eleni Filandra Greece 2009 World 2:06.39 34 6 Anabelle Lascar Mauritius 2009 World 2:06.53 SB 35 5 Nataliia Lupu Ukraine 2009 World 2:06.74 36 2 Leonor Piuza Mozambique 2009 World 2:08.08 37 5 Salome Dell Papua New Guinea 2009 World 2:08.22 38 1 Janeth Jepkosgei Busienei Kenya 2009 World 2:12.81 qR 39 3 Yeliz Kurt Turkey 2009 World 2:13.42 40 4 Natalia Gallego Andorra 2009 World 2:18.75 41 3 Aishath Reesha Maldives 2009 World 2:28.00 NR 42 6 Nikki Hamblin New Zealand 2009 World 2:31.94 99 3 Sanaa Abubkheet Palestine 2009 World 9:99.99 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.800 metres semi-finals startlist https://web.archive.org/web/20120815122826/http://berlin.iaaf.org/results/racedate%3D08-17-2009/sex%3DW/discCode%3D800/combCode%3Dhash/roundCode%3Dsf/startlist.html#detW_800_hash_sf 2012-08-15 . IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-08-17. Qualification: First 2 in each semifinals(Q) and the next 2 fastest(q) advance to the final. Rank Heat Name Nationality Time Notes 01 1 2 Caster Semenya South Africa 2009 World 1:58.66 Q 02 2 1 Mariya Savinova Russia 2009 World 1:59.30 Q 03 3 1 Yuliya Krevsun Ukraine 2009 World 1:59.38 Q 04 4 2 Jenny Meadows Great Britain 2009 World 1:59.45 Q 05 5 2 Janeth Jepkosgei Busienei Kenya 2009 World 1:59.47 q 06 6 1 Mayte Martínez Spain 2009 World 1:59.72 q, SB 07 7 2 Hazel Clark United States 2009 World 1:59.96 SB 08 8 1 Hasna Benhassi Morocco 2009 World 2:00.06 09 9 2 Svetlana Klyuka Russia 2009 World 2:00.48 10 1 Jemma Simpson Great Britain 2009 World 2:00.57 11 3 Elisa Cusma Piccione Italy 2009 World 2:00.62 Q 12 2 Tetyana Petlyuk Ukraine 2009 World 2:00.90 13 3 Marilyn Okoro Great Britain 2009 World 2:01.01 Q 14 1 Geena Gall United States 2009 World 2:01.30 15 3 Anna Rostkowska Poland 2009 World 2:01.40 16 1 Zulia Calatayud Cuba 2009 World 2:01.53 17 2 Lucia Klocová Slovakia 2009 World 2:01.56 18 3 Elena Kofanova Russia 2009 World 2:02.02 19 3 Kenia Sinclair Jamaica 2009 World 2:02.31 20 3 Lenka Masná Czech Republic 2009 World 2:02.55 21 2 Marian Burnett Guyana 2009 World 2:02.75 22 3 Maggie Vessey United States 2009 World 2:03.55 23 1 Élodie Guégan France 2009 World 2:04.38 99 2 Halima Hachlaf Morocco 2009 World 9:99.99 DNF 99 3 Pamela Jelimo Kenya 2009 World 9:99.99 DNF Final thumb|Caster Semenya won her first World Championship gold medal despite a controversial build up Rank Name Nationality Time Notes Caster Semenya South Africa 2009 World 1:55.45 WL Janeth Jepkosgei Busienei Kenya 2009 World 1:57.90 SB Jenny Meadows Great Britain 2009 World 1:57.93 PB 4 Yuliya Krevsun Ukraine 2009 World 1:58.00 SB 5 Mariya Savinova Russia 2009 World 1:58.68 6 Elisa Cusma Piccione Italy 2009 World 1:58.81 SB 7 Mayte Martinez Spain 2009 World 1:58.81 SB 8 Marilyn Okoro Great Britain 2009 World 2:00.31 Key: PB = Personal best, SB = Seasonal best, WL = World leading (in a given season) References External links 800 metres results (Archived 2009-09-08). IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-08-16. 800 metres Category:800 metres at the World Athletics Championships