Tracey hails Goule-Toppin after another 800m PB

BUDAPEST, Hungary

An exuberant Adele Tracey heaped praise on team-mate Natoya Goule-Toppin as the inspiration behind yet another personal best (PB) in the women’s 800-metre final.

The Seattle-born former British athlete came home seventh in a time of 1:58.41, shaving 0.58 hundredths off of her previous quickest, set in qualifying for a super-fast medal decider won by Kenya’s Mary Moraa.

Tracey, who switched allegiance to Jamaica - the birthplace of her father - last year, has now derived career firsts or records almost every time she has taken to the Budapest track at the 19th World Athletics Championships.

Having smashed a 28-year-old national record in the 1500m at the beginning of the week, the 30-year old has now improved her metric half-mile personal best times in the semi-final and her first-ever global championship final.

Sporting a seemingly permanent smile, a delighted Tracey said,“It’s my third PB in a week so I’ve got to take that!

“That experience of being in a final is invaluable and of course I wanted to mix it with those girls at the front, but it’s my fifth race over the last nine days or so.

“So to run that fast, in that situation, I have to be happy.

“It (the pace) was pretty hot through 400m and I’ve been gearing my training towards 1500m this year as last year I was saying I have to run more, so as I can get through all these rounds.

“There is still lots to learn and lots to build on this winter.

“I’ve had the best time and that’s what has seen me through this week.

“I love being in this environment and being with the team.

“I really wish Natoya Goule-Toppin (Jamaica’s national champion) was here tonight as she really has been a massive inspiration to me over the years and to have her as a really good friend is very special.”

The USA’s defending champion Athing Mu led for much of an always fast race until Moraa challenged on the outside of the last bend.

As Mu tried to run 2022 Commonwealth champion Moraa wide down the home straight, Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson took advantage to charge up the inside, but was unable to catch the 23-year-old Kenyan who won in a personal best 1:56.03.