Ingvill Måkestad finishes sixth in women's 1500m finals at world championships...
Måkestad ran a similar race tactically to her semifinal round two nights ago, where she stayed in the front and held her position throughout the race, to ensure she was positioned out of trouble when the real racing began.
With over a lap to go, three runners in the middle of the pack, including the USA's Morgan Uceny went down in a fall.
In an unexpected twist, University of Colorado grad Jenny Barringer Simpson took the victory at 4:05.40, with former Florida State standout Hannah England of Great Britain second at 4:05.68, and Spain's Natalia Rodriguez third at 4:05.87.
"I felt like I ran a tactically good race. I was able to avoid the pushing and shoving that was going on."
"It was my goal at the beginning of the season to get a top six placing at the world championships. Both my coach and the national coach knew that I was aiming for a top six finish."
Looking forward to the rest of the season, Måkestad will run three more races, including Rieti, where she set her personal best of 4:02.20 last year, and the Diamond League meet in Brussels. She'll finish her 2011 season at the Fifth Avenue Mile on the streets of New York at the end of September.
In other events, Team USA earned two other victories, thanks to high jumper Jesse Williams, and 400 hurdler Lashinda Demus.
Looking forward to Friday events involving Washington state athletes, it will be a light day, as Michael Berry, who ran the fastest split Thursday morning in the qualifying round of the men's 4 x 400 meter relay, is on the pool to run in the finals Friday night.
However, the USA coaching staff will make its final decision on which four runners will race. In talking to Berry Thursday morning, he said that he would accept whatever decision the staff makes on the lineup.
Complete day six results from the IAAF world track and field championships are available here.
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