Natalia Rodgriguez olympic buzzcut
Transcript
00:00 There's the line up for this women's 1500m final
00:03 Almenova of Russia, Rodriguez of Spain, Lange of Kenya, Mishchenko of the Ukraine,
00:08 Hilary of Morocco, Tobias of the Ukraine,
00:12 Lakud of Morocco, Leshchinska of the Ukraine,
00:17 Fuentes Pila of Spain, one of the athletes Kelly was talking about,
00:20 Shannon Robry of the United States, Lisa Dobrinsky and the reigning world champion,
00:25 Jamal of Bahrain on the outside.
00:29 Well certainly as we look at Natalie Rodriguez, the shaven head,
00:36 I saw Lisa Dobrinsky coming into the stadium today,
00:42 she looked very nervous, she was with her coach George Gandy
00:46 and she said "I'm looking forward to it, I feel ok".
00:52 George Gandy was more nervous than her I think.
00:55 There's Lange, 27 year old Kenyan, African champion.
01:03 Mishchenko, don't know much about her, she hasn't run very much outside of her home country.
01:12 Bilaly of Morocco, former world youth champion,
01:19 she's run 4.05 this year, Lisa Dobrinsky her best 4.00.64,
01:26 so she's going very well indeed, is Lisa.
01:30 Tobias, one of three Ukrainians, world student games champion a couple of years ago,
01:35 her best this year 4.03.19.
01:45 Condition superb in the stadium, the second of the Moroccans, Lacour,
01:51 her lifetime best 4.03, has done well to make this final.
01:58 The third Ukrainian, Mishchenska,
02:10 World championship bronze medalist, she could be a threat, she's got quite a fast finish on her.
02:15 But as we've seen, particularly in the semi-final,
02:18 Lisa Dobrinsky has suddenly found a sprint finish which can be devastating.
02:22 Two Spaniards, there's Fuentes Pilar,
02:25 European Cup winner a couple of years ago, her lifetime best 4.04.25,
02:34 which she did this year.
02:35 Shannon Robry, US Olympic trials winner, well she's pretty quick when she wants to be,
02:40 four minutes flat, had a very good Golden League meeting in Paris,
02:45 what about three or four weeks ago, just behind the world champion Jamal.
02:49 Lisa Dobrinsky from Ashford, belongs to the Ashford club,
02:52 lives and trains at Loughborough, Commonwealth Games champion,
02:56 boy oh boy did she smile after that victory, she could hardly believe it.
03:00 I wonder what sort of smile we'll get tonight if she can win a medal.
03:04 There's the danger athlete, Mariam Jamal, the world champion,
03:08 former Ethiopian, who went to Bahrain via Switzerland,
03:14 and has run with huge success for them now, 3.59.99.
03:19 The women's Olympic 1500m final.
03:22 Well, I thought we saw a very mature run from Lisa Dobrinsky,
03:28 who just settles in there, third from the back,
03:32 in the semi-final, and she came through with a very big sprint finish,
03:36 and if she can run that sort of race here, depending on the sort of pace they set,
03:40 we could be in for a big surprise. Being led at the moment by Anna Almener of Russia.
03:45 Pace fairly steady, Lisa Dobrinsky, who we remember first on to the scene,
03:50 with that victory in the Commonwealth Games, looking comfortable there,
03:53 just in the right place, giving herself space on the outside,
03:56 if anything happens up front she can move to it,
03:59 and just settling back, and she knows her strengths.
04:02 Her strengths are that she can get herself in a good place,
04:05 and her strength is also a phenomenal finish,
04:07 she really has run well over the last 100 metres on quite a few occasions.
04:11 This year she's added strength to that, and with strength comes determination.
04:16 So Lisa Dobrinsky in a good place here, Jamal the favourite on the outside,
04:20 in about third place, just off the leader.
04:23 The pace is not phenomenal, but it is a good solid pace.
04:26 It's a good steady pace as they come through up to the first 400 metres,
04:30 65 seconds, so that's taking it into a distance running area.
04:34 Well it's outside of four minute pace, Almener leads for Russia,
04:38 and we've got Leshchinska of the Ukraine, Jamal the world champion just on her shoulder,
04:43 and we're tucked right behind the first two is Langat of Kenya,
04:46 just looking towards the back. Lisa's got herself trapped on the curve,
04:49 with a couple of apps all around her.
04:51 She's got to spend the next 400 metres getting herself to a position,
04:55 so that when it comes to the bell, Lisa Dobrinsky isn't giving them a start,
04:59 and is able to use her strong finishing kick, and also is still in contention,
05:05 because if someone was to steal this one, someone like Jamal,
05:08 if she went now, Lisa would be in a little bit of trouble.
05:11 Oh she's got Rodriguez on her shoulder, and the very tall Moroccan Lakohead there,
05:17 it's still the Russian, Almener leading.
05:21 Still the Ukrainian Leshchinska on her shoulder, still Langat just tucked in behind her,
05:26 but still ominously the world champion Jamal.
05:29 The order really Brendan, hasn't changed at all, it's got to start winding up soon.
05:34 Yeah well it's not too slow, it's not phenomenally fast, but the pace isn't too slow,
05:38 and Lisa Dobrinsky is in a good place now,
05:41 because Jamal is getting poised as they enter the home straight.
05:44 Just about 500 metres to go, and Lisa, I said earlier, she needs to get herself in a...
05:51 And Tobias is coming through to take third, Lisa Dobrinsky finishes in fourth place,
05:56 and I think she might look back on that performance, and think, maybe tactically I got it wrong.
06:03 Because there she is, down the back straight, there she is going,
06:08 and this time she goes on the inside, Afi's outsider, it makes it so difficult,
06:13 there's Rodriguez ahead of her, Robry ahead of her,
06:16 then the Ukrainian Afi just leans on her a little, and Lisa suddenly slows on the bend,
06:22 and then once again, gathers that pace, gathers that momentum,
06:26 we know she's got a strong finish, we know that George Gandhi,
06:29 this coach here in this, he got it to this level, he's done a brilliant job with her,
06:33 physically she had everything today, but the tactics of the race,
06:37 look how strong, look how much finishing power she's got,
06:40 she could have done a bit more, she certainly could, she's passing Jamal,
06:44 but the line's coming too quickly, and Lisa Dobrinsky,
06:47 I think she should be pleased with that, in fourth place,
06:50 I know she'll be disappointed, but when she gets back and studies the race,
06:53 the tactics is what let her down, physically, and emotionally,
06:58 she ran as hard as she possibly could, and I think that was a great performance by Lisa,
07:03 just so sad that they don't give medals for fourth place.
07:07 [BLANK_AUDIO]