BAHRAIN’S Maryam Yusuf Jamal won the women’s 1,500m race by the narrowest of margins at the ‘GE Galan’ indoor athletics meeting in Stockholm late Thursday night.
Maryam, running in her first race of the year, comfortably paced herself in the front alongside Ethiopia’s Gelete Burka and Russia’s Olesya Chumakova over the race’s opening three laps (1,200m).
But the 23-year-old Bahraini struck with one lap to go, when she dropped Chumakova and opened up a significant gap ahead of Burka.
The Ethiopian youngster however would not give up easily, and was able to cut the gap to about a half-metre from first. But Maryam proved to be too strong in the end, and she was able to stave off the late challenge and clinch the win in four minutes 04.30 seconds, just seven-hundredths of a second ahead of Burka.
Chumakova was also not far behind, finishing in 4:07.42 for third. In fourth and fifth place respectively were Britons Lisa Dobriskey (4:08.88) and Susan Scott (4:09.07), who each set a new personal best in the event.
Sonja Roman (4:11.42) of Slovakia, Helen Clitheroe (4:12.22) from the UK and Sandra Teixeira (4:14.72) of Portugal rounded up the top eight. Thirteen runners took part in the event, with only one not finishing.
The meeting was held as part of the International Association of Athletics Federations indoor season. It will Maryam’s only indoor event, according to her husband and coach Tareq Sabt, as she prepares to represent Bahrain in the World Indoor Championships in Valencia next month.