Gudaf Tsegay, the world champion and world record holder in the 3000m, suffered a shocking defeat at the World Indoor Athletic Championships in Glasgow on Saturday, taking silver despite being the pre-race favorite.
Tsegay, who came into the championship with the fastest time of the year and three World Indoor titles under her belt, was expected to claim gold. But America’s Elinor Purrier St. Pierre pulled off a major upset, out-kicking Tsegay in the final lap to take first in a championship record time of 8:20.87.
A stunned Tsegay settled for second place with a time of 8:21.13, just over a second behind the winner, while Beatrice Chepkoech of Kenya took bronze in 8:22.68.
The Ethiopian runner is the reigning world champion in the 5000m and holds the world record in that event with a time of 14:00. She also owns the 1500m indoor world record of 3:53.09.
Her 3000m silver medal finish marks a disappointing loss for the dominant Tsegay, who has been having an outstanding season. She was on track to add to her medal collection before being caught off guard by St. Pierre.
While not her desired result, Tsegay’s silver still caps a strong indoor championship for the Ethiopian. She will aim to return stronger and capture the gold that eluded her this time.
For St. Pierre, her shocking victory over the world’s top middle distance runner will go down as one of the biggest upsets at the World Indoors in recent memory.
