2011 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 1500 metres
The Men's 1500 metres at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Daegu Stadium on August 30 and September 1 & 3.
In the heats, Mehdi Baala, who has a history of this sort of incident, fell flat on his face as the [|final] sprint began. He was eventually advanced by the referees to the semi-finals, where he qualified for the final.
The first semi-final went out slowly and was a strategic race with a bunch finish. Defending champion Yusuf Saad Kamel finished 6th in that semi and failed to make the time qualifier. The second semi went out on a decidedly faster pace bringing the time qualifiers along with the automatic qualifiers. Previous silver medalist Deresse Mekonnen was left behind in the final kick. With Bernard Lagat opting to run the 5,000 metres, no returning medalists made the final, though all current Olympic medalists did make the final.
The final went out at 4 minute mile pace, with Nick Willis leading Matthew Centrowitz and the pack through a 60 second 400, slowing to almost 2:02 by 800. Shortly after that, the Kenyans Asbel Kiprop and Silas Kiplagat moved to the front, chased by Mekonnen Gebremedhin and much of the pack swallowed the early leaders. Centrowitz stepped to the side and followed. As the pack tried to jockey for position, Kiprop refused to relinquish the lead along the rail, even as teammate Kiplagat took the lead on the outside during the backstretch. Kiprop and then Kiplagat continued that way to the finish. Abdalaati Iguider stayed a step behind Kiprop and was in third coming down the home stretch. As he faded, Centrowitz, who had come around the outside followed by Manuel Olmedo moved back up to finish third.
Medalists
Records
Qualification standards
Schedule
Results
Heats
Qualification: First 6 in each heat and the next 6 fastest advance to the [|semifinals].| Rank | Heat | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 1 | Daniel Kipchirchir Komen | 3:38.54 | Q | |
| 2 | 1 | Nick Willis | 3:39.24 | Q | |
| 3 | 1 | Yoann Kowal | 3:39.33 | Q | |
| 4 | 1 | Diego Ruiz | 3:39.33 | Q | |
| 5 | 1 | Mohamed Moustaoui | 3:39.35 | Q | |
| 6 | 1 | Matthew Centrowitz | 3:39.46 | Q | |
| 7 | 1 | Chaminda Wijekoon | 3:39.61 | q, NR | |
| 8 | 3 | Amine Laâlou | 3:39.86 | Q | |
| 9 | 1 | Ryan Gregson | 3:40.01 | q | |
| 10 | 3 | Deresse Mekonnen | 3:40.08 | Q | |
| 11 | 3 | Silas Kiplagat | 3:40.13 | Q | |
| 12 | 3 | Taoufik Makhloufi | 3:40.15 | Q | |
| 13 | 3 | Yusuf Saad Kamel | 3:40.27 | Q, SB | |
| 14 | 3 | Ciaran O'Lionaird | 3:40.41 | Q | |
| 15 | 3 | Juan Carlos Higuero | 3:40.71 | q | |
| 16 | 3 | Leonel Manzano | 3:40.77 | q | |
| 17 | 3 | Geoffrey Martinson | 3:40.98 | q | |
| 18 | 1 | Zebene Alemayehu | 3:41.08 | q | |
| 19 | 1 | James Shane | 3:41.17 | ||
| 20 | 2 | Asbel Kiprop | 3:41.22 | Q | |
| 21 | 2 | Mekonnen Gebremedhin | 3:41.28 | Q | |
| 22 | 3 | Andreas Vojta | 3:41.34 | ||
| 23 | 2 | Abdalaati Iguider | 3:41.41 | Q | |
| 24 | 2 | Manuel Olmedo | 3:41.78 | Q | |
| 25 | 2 | Tarek Boukensa | 3:41.87 | Q | |
| 26 | 2 | Eduard Villanueva | 3:41.89 | Q | |
| 27 | 3 | Hamza Driouch | 3:42.09 | ||
| 28 | 2 | Jeffrey Riseley | 3:42.22 | ||
| 29 | 2 | Andrew Wheating | 3:42.68 | ||
| 30 | 2 | Dmitrijs Jurkevičs | 3:42.69 | ||
| 31 | 2 | Jeroen D'Hoedt | 3:45.54 | ||
| 32 | 3 | Nabil Mohammed Al-Garbi | 3:50.17 | PB | |
| 33 | 2 | Charles Delys | 3:51.36 | SB | |
| 34 | 3 | Florian Carvalho | 3:53.88 | ||
| 35 | 1 | Sin Sang-min | 3:55.02 | ||
| 36 | 2 | Mehdi Baala | 4:13.10 | q by Referees | |
| 37 | 2 | Ribeiro Pinto De Carvalho | 4:30.56 | PB | |
| 1 | Mohammed Shaween |
Semifinals
Qualification: First 5 in each heat and the next 2 fastest advance to the final.| Rank | Heat | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 2 | Asbel Kiprop | 3:36.75 | Q | |
| 2 | 2 | Tarek Boukensa | 3:36.84 | Q | |
| 3 | 2 | Mohamed Moustaoui | 3:36.87 | Q | |
| 4 | 2 | Manuel Olmedo | 3:36.91 | Q | |
| 5 | 2 | Eduar Villanueva | 3:36.96 | Q, NR | |
| 6 | 2 | Ciaran O'Lionaird | 3:36.96 | q | |
| 7 | 2 | Nick Willis | 3:37.39 | q | |
| 8 | 2 | Yoann Kowal | 3:37.44 | ||
| 9 | 2 | Daniel Kipchirchir Komen | 3:37.58 | ||
| 10 | 2 | Juan Carlos Higuero | 3:37.92 | ||
| 11 | 2 | Deresse Mekonnen | 3:44.65 | ||
| 12 | 2 | Chaminda Wijekoon | 3:44.81 | ||
| 13 | 1 | Matthew Centrowitz | 3:46.66 | Q | |
| 14 | 1 | Mekonnen Gebremedhin | 3:46.71 | Q | |
| 15 | 1 | Silas Kiplagat | 3:46.75 | Q | |
| 16 | 1 | Mehdi Baala | 3:46.87 | Q | |
| 17 | 1 | Abdalaati Iguider | 3:46.89 | Q | |
| 18 | 1 | Yusuf Saad Kamel | 3:47.18 | ||
| 19 | 1 | Amine Laâlou | 3:47.65 | ||
| 20 | 1 | Ryan Gregson | 3:47.89 | ||
| 21 | 2 | Leonel Manzano | 3:47.98 | ||
| 22 | 1 | Geoffrey Martinson | 3:48.83 | ||
| 23 | 1 | Diego Ruiz | 3:49.26 | ||
| 24 | 1 | Taoufik Makhloufi | 3:50.86 | ||
| 25 | 1 | Zebene Alemayehu | 3:51.19 |