2013 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 1500 metres
The women's 1500 metres at the 2013 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Luzhniki Stadium on 11–15 August.
From the start of the final, two Americans, defending champion Jennifer Simpson and super high-schooler Mary Cain bracketed the field and closed to fill in the front of the pack. But most of the pack stayed in close order formation throughout with much jockeying for position and flying elbows. Cain tried to stay on the curb but kept getting moved back as new suitors moved forward then fell back. Zoe Buckman came forward then went to the curb to suffer the same fate ahead of Cain. Throughout world leader Abeba Aregawi hovered near the front but not passing Simpson. With 300 to go, Aregawi went around Simpson and made a break for it. But Simpson and the rest of the pack didn't go away. Just 100 meters later, Simpson looked like she would go by, but Aregawi wouldn't let her by. Then Hellen Onsando Obiri moved up with momentum, but couldn't make her way around either of them. Aregawi gained a couple of steps around the final turn, but Simpson came back to make it a close finish. Obiri lost ground but held on to keep the bronze. Faith Chepngetich Kipyegon tried to hang on to her teammate but Hannah England made an impressive run from back in the pack to pass her on the inside to get fourth.
Records
Prior to the competition, the records were as follows:| World record | 3:50.46 | Beijing, People's Republic of China | 11 September 1993 | |
| Championship record | 3:58.52 | Paris, France | 31 August 2003 | |
| World Leading | 3:56.60 | Paris, France | 10 May 2013 | |
| African Record | 3:55.30 | Barcelona, Spain | 8 August 1992 | |
| Asian Record | 3:50.46 | Beijing, People's Republic of China | 11 September 1993 | |
| North, Central American and Caribbean record | 3:57.12 | Stockholm, Sweden | 26 July 1983 | |
| South American record | 4:05.67 | Tokyo, Japan | 31 August 1991 | |
| European Record | 3:52.47 | Zürich, Switzerland | 13 August 1980 | |
| Oceanian record | 4:00.93 | Stockholm, Sweden | 25 July 2006 |
Qualification standards
Schedule
Results
Heats
Qualification: First 6 in each heat and the next 6 fastest advanced to the semifinals.| Rank | Heat | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 3 | Genzebe Dibaba | 4:06.78 | Q | |
| 2 | 3 | Hellen Onsando Obiri | 4:06.98 | Q | |
| 3 | 2 | Zoe Buckman | 4:06.99 | Q | |
| 4 | 2 | Jennifer Simpson | 4:07.16 | Q | |
| 5 | 2 | Yekaterina Sharmina | 4:07.17 | Q | |
| 6 | 1 | Abeba Aregawi | 4:07.66 | Q | |
| 7 | 1 | Siham Hilali | 4:07.82 | Q | |
| 8 | 2 | Rababe Arafi | 4:07.84 | Q | |
| 9 | 1 | Svetlana Podosenova | 4:07.87 | Q | |
| 10 | 1 | Nancy Langat | 4:07.98 | Q | |
| 11 | 3 | Hannah England | 4:08.05 | Q | |
| 12 | 1 | Renata Pliś | 4:08.20 | Q | |
| 13 | 1 | Mary Cain | 4:08.21 | Q | |
| 14 | 3 | Yelena Korobkina | 4:08.33 | Q | |
| 15 | 3 | Natalia Rodríguez | 4:08.44 | Q | |
| 16 | 3 | Nicole Sifuentes | 4:08.54 | Q | |
| 17 | 3 | Sonja Roman | 4:08.58 | q | |
| 18 | 1 | Kate van Buskirk | 4:08.65 | q | |
| 19 | 2 | Faith Kipyegon | 4:08.66 | Q | |
| 20 | 1 | Luiza Gega | 4:08.76 | q | |
| 21 | 1 | Maureen Koster | 4:08.99 | q | |
| 22 | 3 | Sarah Brown | 4:09.00 | q | |
| 23 | 3 | Btissam Lakhouad | 4:09.15 | q | |
| 24 | 2 | Mimi Belete | 4:09.27 | Q | |
| 25 | 3 | Diana Sujew | 4:09.40 | ||
| 26 | 3 | Ioana Doagă | 4:09.78 | ||
| 27 | 2 | Sheila Reid | 4:10.90 | ||
| 28 | 2 | Margherita Magnani | 4:11.15 | ||
| 29 | 1 | Gelete Burka | 4:11.26 | ||
| 30 | 2 | Senbere Teferi | 4:11.41 | ||
| 31 | 2 | Cory McGee | 4:12.33 | ||
| 32 | 2 | Betlhem Desalegn | 4:12.97 | ||
| 33 | 1 | Laura Weightman | 4:14.38 | ||
| 34 | 1 | Rosibel García | 4:15.38 | NR | |
| 35 | 3 | Tuğba Koyuncu | 4:15.56 | ||
| 36 | 2 | Eliane Saholinirina | 4:18.04 | SB | |
| 37 | 1 | Amela Terzić | 4:27.89 |
Semifinals
Qualification: First 5 in each heat and the next 2 fastest advanced to the final.| Rank | Heat | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 1 | Zoe Buckman | 4:04.82 | Q, PB | |
| 2 | 1 | Faith Kipyegon | 4:04.83 | Q | |
| 3 | 1 | Yelena Korobkina | 4:05.18 | Q, PB | |
| 4 | 1 | Mary Cain | 4:05.21 | Q | |
| 5 | 1 | Genzebe Dibaba | 4:05.23 | Q | |
| 6 | 1 | Nancy Langat | 4:05.30 | q | |
| 7 | 1 | Siham Hilali | 4:05.32 | q | |
| 8 | 1 | Svetlana Podosenova | 4:05.36 | ||
| 9 | 2 | Abeba Aregawi | 4:05.66 | Q | |
| 10 | 2 | Hellen Onsando Obiri | 4:05.76 | Q | |
| 11 | 2 | Jennifer Simpson | 4:05.79 | Q | |
| 12 | 1 | Nicole Sifuentes | 4:06.30 | ||
| 13 | 2 | Yekaterina Sharmina | DQ | ||
| 14 | 2 | Hannah England | 4:06.80 | Q | |
| 15 | 2 | Kate van Buskirk | 4:07.36 | PB | |
| 16 | 2 | Renata Pliś | 4:08.02 | ||
| 17 | 1 | Maureen Koster | 4:08.15 | ||
| 18 | 1 | Sonja Roman | 4:08.63 | ||
| 19 | 1 | Luiza Gega | 4:08.79 | ||
| 20 | 2 | Natalia Rodríguez | 4:09.18 | ||
| 21 | 2 | Rababe Arafi | 4:09.86 | ||
| 22 | 2 | Sarah Brown | 4:12.16 | ||
| 23 | 2 | Mimi Belete | 4:14.22 | ||
| 2 | Btissam Lakhouad |
Final
The final was started at 21:20.| Rank | Name | Nationality | Time | Notes |
| Abeba Aregawi | 4:02.67 | |||
| Jennifer Simpson | 4:02.99 | |||
| Hellen Onsando Obiri | 4:03.86 | |||
| Hannah England | 4:04.98 | |||
| Faith Kipyegon | 4:05.08 | |||
| Zoe Buckman | 4:05.77 | |||
| Genzebe Dibaba | 4:05.99 | |||
| Nancy Langat | 4:06.01 | |||
| 10 | Mary Cain | 4:07.19 | ||
| 11 | Siham Hilali | 4:09.16 | ||
| 12 | Yelena Korobkina | 4:10.18 | ||
| DQ | Yekaterina Sharmina | doping violation |