Mackay pulls away to win 1500m at LA Grand Prix
Watch the full race of the women's 1500m at the LA Grand Prix with Emily Mackay pulling away from her competitors to get a sub-four minute time.
Video Transcript
See the world and American record, and Emily Mackay kind of trying to stay in those shadows as long as possible on this warm day Yeah, weather last night for those distance events was ideal, just short of what I would call perfect here.
Little bit warmer, little bit more blustery winds swirling around the track.
And we see Emily conserving as best she can over there in turn one, about to line up for this 1500.
Emily had a fantastic indoor season, proved to be just a heady, consummate, like, sharp racer.
Like, she's ready to go this season, ready to duke it out, stick her nose in the front of the pack, and is a danger when she's there.
Kind of cool factor, too, that the women are being introduced by Shannon Robary, who's one of the PA announcers here at the stadium, who has been elevated to the podium in London from 2012.
She's really having fun being able to introduce these athletes, knowing exactly what they're preparing to go through now as they toe the line for this Toyota Women's 1500 meters.
Taryn Parks, who won a B heat in this event last night at 4:09.02, is the one who will be instructed to go to the front, as we'll have pacing here at the 1500 meters.
And they're trying to go sub-four here, Trey, so this is, you know, this is the time of year.
There's a lot of anticipation for those distance races at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene coming up on 4th of July weekend.
This is a good stage-setter for these athletes wanting to run fast today.
Yeah, at this part of the season, Paul, it, all the work has been done.
No more, like, going back and getting mileage in, strengthening your base.
This is all about racing, and as we see, it's stringing out a good bit already, keeping it at an honest pace.
We've got a very, very nice spread.
Everybody relaxed and calm running through that first lap.
Looked around, like, 63 for that opening lap.
Worknesh Mesel of Ethiopia running behind Parks, the pace-setter, the 25-year-old, finished sixth at the final in Paris in the 800.
She's a two-time Ethiopian champ.
Mackay behind her, and then Gabija Galvaite of Lithuania, 10-time Lithuanian champion and broke four minutes for the very first time in Shanghai at the Diamond League, and they have kind of separated from the field here in the early going.
Kate Snowden of Great Britain that fourth one behind the pace-setter.
We also have these pace lights that have been installed on a lot of tracks for a lot of these types of events that afford those athletes a sense of where they're trying to stay on pace, particularly once the pace-setter steps off.
And Mackay trying to keep up with, with the pacer, trying to stay on it.
This is where athletes start to make some big decisions, is do you push all the way through here and do that bell lap with an unknown amount of energy left, or do you settle in and wait for someone to try to make a move and just survive and think, "Okay, I think I can out-kick, I think I can finish stronger than the women behind me"?
We'll see what Emily decides to do here as she builds into this bell lap.
Yeah, Parks took off and stopped the pace-setting duties on the back stretch, so Mackay now leading this race, has created a little bit of separation from herself.
The lights were trailing towards 3:56, or tracking rather, are now ahead of this little lockup in this last lap.
And we still see Galvaite on her right shoulder.
Katie Snowden is in pursuit, as Snowden coming here with a lifetime of 3:56.72 made the semifinals of the Olympics in Tokyo, and she is now in third as they head down the back stretch for the final time.
Galvaite and Snowden in such a good position behind Emily Mackay, just able to gauge effort off of her pace.
She is flying blind here.
She doesn't know if she's giving enough or too little right now as we head to the last 150.
Let's see who has the kick.
US indoor champion at 3,000 meters this year, breaking a meet record that had stood since 1990, that'd been held by Lynn Jennings.
She's gonna win here today.
The number three all-time performer for Team USA at this distance, and she'll get under four minutes in the victory, 3:59.17 as Snowden and Galvaite come across in the race for second and third, and Snowden gets there first in the season's best, 4:00.97.
You can see on the scoreboard your women's 1500-meter results with Emily Mackay in 59.17- Based on all the conditions, the way the race played out- Northern Ireland in second that, that was a strong race and strong performance from Emily Mackay.
Soloed the last half of the race, really wasn't pushed.
Mi- maybe she heard a couple of footsteps there with about 700 to go, but this was eyes forward, not worried about anything at all, and all smiles at the finish.
That four-minute barrier, really that defining barrier for 1500 meters for the women, and for Mackay, she has run under four minutes in all three of her 1500-meter races she has stepped to the line for this year.
Emily Mackay is the winner, 3:59.26, as we check in once again with Lewis.
All right, Paul.
Well, Emily, great performance here.
What are your thoughts on what you just did time-wise, you got a piece of, finish line tape to celebrate it, and really the year you're having overall?
Yeah, thank you.
I'm not quite sure what my time was, but we came here to race and compete, and the main goal of today was to win and practice running up front and just being tough and try to fun- run a fast time in the process, and I executed that perfectly, so I'm very proud of the race.
As you should be.
Emily, thanks so much.
Congratulations.
Thank you
