DAEGU, South Korea — With one powerful surge on the homestretch, former University of Colorado star Jenny Barringer Simpson ended a 28-year drought by winning the 1,500 meters at the world championships.
Simpson, the first American woman to win the world title in the 1,500 since fellow CU alumna Mary Decker Slaney in 1983, had a strong motivation pulling her toward the finish — a sister who’s serving in the Army.
“I thought, ‘If I win gold, I get to play the national anthem for her,’ ” Simpson said. “Coming down the last 100 meters, I was thinking of my little sister and thought, ‘Let’s get that song playing.’ “
Simpson, 25, a newlywed who was slowed by flulike symptoms this season, did not even have one of the year’s top 10 times coming into the final.
She still doesn’t. Her winning time of 4 minutes, 5.40 seconds was the slowest for a world 1,500 champion, but she took full advantage of the energy she was able to conserve in this tactical race, coming off the final curve in fourth place and then confidently gaining ground, taking the lead with about 30 meters left. Her eyes were soon wide as she stared at the scoreboard.
“I hope maybe it never sinks in,” she said.
