Girls Distances
Rogers, Efraimson carry US medal hopes

By Steve Underwood

800m Run
Team USA Meet History:  The Gold won by Ajee Wilson NJ in 2011 was the first medal won by Team USA in the seven editions of the event to that date.  Amy Weissenbach CA was also 4th in a thrilling final.  They were also the first two Americans to make a WY 800 final.

Team USA Roster (HS, Grad Yr, hometown)
Raevyn Rogers, Kincaid School TX, 2014 (Houston, Texas)
Ersula Farrow, Grosse Pointe South MI, 2015 (Grosse Pointe Park, Mich.)

IAAF World List (rank among WYC entries when diff. than list #)
1. 1:59.51, Mary Cain, USA
2 (1). 2:00.49, Anita Hinriksdottir, ISL
3 (2). 2:03.37, Georgia Wassall, AUS
4. 2:05.05, Zeyituna Mohammed, ETH
5. 2:05.28, Anjana Thamke, IND
6 (3). 2:05.33, Raevyn Rogers, USA
...
10 (8). 2:06.04 Dureti Edao, ETH (2:05.31 in ’12)
17 (12). 2:06.92, Ersula Farrow, USA
(italicized not entered in WYC)

Team USA Hopes/Preview:  Save for the highly questioned marks from Chinese athletes in 1993 and 1997, there has never been a Youth 800 performance faster than Cain’s 1:59.51 this year.  But Cain, of course, will be competing for Team USA at the IAAF Senior Champs in Moscow.  Still, fans will get to see an all-time great and sub-2:00 threat in Iceland’s Anita Hinriksdottir, who is #8 all-time with her 2:00.49. 

And American hopes, even without Cain, are very solid.  800/400 star Rogers is better at the longer race, though she doesn’t rank as high on the world list.  But she benefits from the fact that three of the world top 6 are not entered.  Hence, she ranks third behind Hinriksdottir and the Aussie Wassall.  There’s a cluster of athletes in the 2:05-2:06 range, though, so it will be a war for the bronze if the top two both run to their capabilities.  Don’t be surprised if Farrow makes the final and contends, too.  She’s improved significantly this year and the relay mate of the famed Meier twins at Grosse Pointe South MI tends to raise her game when the stakes are highest.


1500m Run
Team USA Meet History:  Team USA’s best showing in this event came in 2007 when Jordan Hasay claimed silver following her soph year as a prep.  But there have been other outstanding American performances that did not medal, including Texan Chelsea Sveinsson’s 4th in 2009 and the 5th- and 9th-place finishes by Cami Chapus CA and Hannah Meier MI in 2011.  Each of the three ran 4:20 or better.

Team USA Roster (HS, Grad Yr, hometown)
Alexa Efraimson, Camas WA, 2015 (Camas, Wash.)
Anna Maxwell, San Lorenzo Valley CA, 2014 (Felton, Calif.)

IAAF World List (rank among WYC entries when diff. than list #)
1. 4:04.62, Mary Cain, USA
2 (1). 4:10.37, Tigist Gashaw, ETH
3 (2). 4:14.95, Dawit Seyaum, ETH
4. 4:15.07, Elise Cranny, USA
5. 4:15.87, Alemitu Hawi, ETH
6 (3). 4:16.00, Alexa Efraimson, USA
7. 4:16.51, Anita Hinriksdottir, ISL
8 (4). 4:18.03, Maria Dietz, GER
9 (5). 4:18.33, Bobby Clay, GBR
...
-- (9). 4:25.93, Anna Maxwell, USA
(italicized not entered in WYC)

Team USA Hopes/Preview:  If Cain (see above) were running, Team USA would sport the overwhelming favorite, the world’s #1 by six seconds and – as in the 800 – the best performer all-time outside the Chinese of 1993 and ’97.  But that’s not to say an American won’t be on the podium.  In this epic year for young preps, Efraimson is “merely” third-best on the US list, but is the third best entry here, too.  In fact, it’s absolutely stunning to realize that three of the world’s top six are Americans and that had Cain and Cranny competed in the Trials, Team USA would be leaving home a 4:15 or 4:16 Runner. 

As it is, only three of the world’s best seven are competing in this event since neither Cain or Cranny are here, nor #3 Ethiopian Hawi – and Iceland’s Hinriksdottir is running just the 800.  But the two girls to beat now are the very tough duo of Gashaw and Seyaum, the 1-2 from Ethiopia that hope to give their country its first win in this event since 2003.  There’s only one Kenyan entry, Iveen Chepkemoi with a 4:19.7 best listed, but it’d be foolish to discount her since Kenyans have won the last four golds.

In Maxwell, Team USA has hopes for a second finalist, just as in 2011.  Her 1,500 best is "just" 4:25.93, which ranks 9th, but a 4:42.57 1,600 PR suggests she can go a little faster.


3000m Run
Team USA Meet History:  As good as the 1,500 has been for Team USA girls, the opposite has been true in the 3,000.  Few standouts have attempted to qualify, fewer have done so, and the few that have made it to Worlds have not been close to medaling.  Hasay at one point in 2007 was said to have been running this, but chose the 1,500 instead.

Team USA Roster (HS, Grad Yr, hometown)
None

IAAF World List (rank among WYC entries when diff. than list #)
1. 9:08.45, Fasika Mateferika, ETH
2 (1). 9:11.7, Lilian Kasait Rengeruk, KEN
3 (2). 9:12.0, Mercy Chebwogan, KEN
4. 9:15.3, Valentine Chepkwemoi, KEN
5 (3). 9:15.39, Yuri Nozoe, JPN
6 (4). 9:15.79, Misaki Hayashida, JPN
7. 9:17.69, Daisy Jepkemei, KEN
8 (5). 9:18.05, Weini Frezghi, ERI
(italicized not entered in WYC)

Team USA Hopes/Preview:  Kenyans and Ethiopians typically dominate, with the former taking three straight golds until Gotytom Gebreslase triumphed two years ago.  This year, world leader Meteferika isn’t entered, but her country has two other sub-9:20 talents to battle Kenya’s top two.  Japan also has solid medal chances with two at 9:15 this year.


2000m Steeplechase
Team USA Meet History:  This was a breakthrough event for Team USA two years ago as Maddie Meyers WA and Brianna Nerud NY took 6th and 7th and both went under 6:30.  There was also Eleanor Fulton CO in 6th with a 6:37.31 in 2009.  The event debuted at Worlds in 2007, with Kenyans taking five of the nine medals since.

Team USA Roster (HS, Grad Yr, hometown)
None

IAAF World List (rank among WYC entries when diff. than list #)
1. 6:12.0, Rosefline Chepngetich, KEN
2. 6:24.52, Daisy Jepkemei, KEN
3. 6:30.64, Stella Jepkoskei Rutto, KEN
4 (3). 6:35.6, Weynshet Ansa, ETH
5. 6:37.5, Yeabsira Bitew, ETH
6 (4). 6:38.54, Amy McCormick, AUS
7 (5). 6:39.8, Bezuayehu Mohamed, ETH
(italicized not entered in WYC)

Team USA Hopes/Preview:  No selections for USA this year.  With world leader Chepngetich, a Kenyan will likely win for the third time here and we could see a new WY record.


5000m Race Walk
Team USA Meet History:  Team USA has had no entrants in this event since Maria Michta was 10th in 2003.

Team USA Roster (HS, Grad Yr, hometown)
None

IAAF World List (rank among WYC entries when diff. than list #)
1. 22:27.0, Olga Shargina, RUS
2. 22:29.0, Klavdia Afanasieva, RUS
3. 22:33.6, Nadezhda Mokeeva, RUS
4 (3). 22:37.78, Chahinez Nasri, TUN
5 (4). 22:39.31, Noemi Stella, ITA
...
9 (5). 23:30.39, Mildred Raya, MEX
(italicized not entered in WYC)

Team USA Hopes/Preview:  No USA selections.  Russians have five golds in the history of this meet and will be favored to add another.