10 Candidates For Two Final Racer Spots

There is no shortage of women who could fill the final two Racer spots in the 800m/1500m category. While only two yearlong contracts remain, others can still participate in the league as Challengers on a Slam by Slam basis with an appearance fee.

Here is a quick look other potential participants:

Faith Kipyegon (1:57.68 800m PB for 800m; 3:49.04 world record for 1500m)

Kipyegon is the undisputed greatest 1500m runner of all-time as the world record holder, three-time Olympic champion and three-time World champion at the distance. Kipyegon has thrived in the Diamond League’s setup with pacemakers and proven herself untouchable in the championship setting. It would be an opportunity to earn $400,000 if she were to sweep all four of the Slams. Seeing the 1500m specialist contest four 800ms in a season would offer a new level of intrigue for Kipyegon fans. She has not run an 800m since June 2022 and her personal best in the event is over four years old.

CITIUS MAG has dubbed athletes who have the talent to crossover into other Grand Slam Track categories as “unicorns,” and Kipyegon would also be a great fit for the “long distance” category that will run the 3000m and 5000m at each Slam.

Keely Hodgkinson (1:54.61 British record for 800m; 4:30.00 personal best for 1500m)

Hodgkinson’s 1500m personal best being slower than many high schoolers should not rule her out of contention for a Grand Slam Track Racer contract. She has not raced the event since she was 15 years old in 2017. Now 22, Hodgkinson wrapped up her 2024 campaign undefeated at 800m with the Olympic gold medal, European Championship gold medal and a flashy 1:54.61 British record that moved her to No. 6 on the all-time list.

If there were a 400m/800m category in the league, she would be a lock since she trains for her specialty event with a speed-based approach and raced the 400m at two meets this year. One can suspect that going from contesting no 1500ms in seven years to four in one season may be a physical and mental stretch for Hodgkinson and her team, but there’s no denying that fans want to see her run a 1500m in her prime.

Georgia Bell (1:56.28 PB for 800m; 3:52.61 British record for 1500m)

If track and field awarded a Comeback Athlete of the Year Award, Bell would be a heavy favorite. In her first full year back in the professional ranks (while also balancing a full-time job in cybersecurity), she raced 27 times. The year was highlighted by her 3:52.61 run for the Olympic bronze medal and British record in the 1500m final in Paris. She also contested the 800m five times and ran a personal best of 1:56.28 at the London Diamond League. In the Brussels Diamond League final last month, she attempted the 800m/1500m double on back-to-back days and finished second in the 800m (1:57.50, her second-fastest time ever) and seventh in the 1500m (3:58.95, her fourth-fastest time ever).

Emily MacKay (1:57.87 PB for 800m; 3:55.90 PB for 1500m) or Elle St. Pierre (1:59.99 for 800m; 3:55.99 PB for 1500m)

It would be a surprise to see Americans claim three of four Racer spots in an event group with so much global diversity, but these two Team New Balance stars have their own strong cases. MacKay ran a 1:57.87 personal best for 800m in her final tune-up before the Paris Olympics and then ran 3:55.90 for a runner-up finish behind Hiltz in the 1500m final at the U.S. Olympic Trials. St. Pierre’s 800m personal best from 2021 may not be as indicative of her potential in the event since she opened a 6x800m workout in 1:59 in May. She showcased her strength at the Olympic Trials with a 3:55.99 personal best for third place in the 1500m final and then went on to finish eighth at the Olympics. And while St. Pierre has historically expressed a preference for middle-distance racing, she is also the World Indoor champ over 3000m and reigning U.S. 5000m champion, so the long-distance category is a viable alternative.

Athing Mu (1:54.97 American record for 800m, 4:03.44 PB for 1500m)

Eight non-championship races on the calendar would be quite the change for Mu, who has at times received criticism for her sparse competition schedule. 2024 is a season to forget for Mu, who tore her hamstring in the spring and did not race before the U.S. Olympic Trials. She managed to reach the 800m final but a fall shattered her hopes of defending her Olympic title from Tokyo. If Mu can make a full recovery from the injury, she’s only a year removed from a season in which she ran her 800m American record and also took second in the 1500m at the U.S. Outdoor Championships. Outside of the Prefontaine Classic (which Mu runs as contractually obligated as a Nike athlete), she has only run in one Diamond League [Rome 2022] since turning professional. But Mu trains under coach Bobby Kersee alongside GST signee Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, so it’s clear the option is not entirely off the table.

Mary Moraa (1:56.03 PB for 800m; No PB for 1500m)

Similar to Hodgkinson, Moraa would add intrigue to the races as the reigning World champion but has no 1500m results on record. Her unpredictable pack-racing style would also add an element of excitement to any unpaced middle-distance field. This year, she raced farther than 800m for the first time and finished third in the 1000m in 2:33.43 at the Silesia Diamond League.