Posted: September 5, 2008

(RRW) Athletics: Kenyan Teenager Wins $1 Million Golden League Jackpot

From David Monti © 2007 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved RaceResultsWeekly.com A teenage athlete whom athletics fans had never heard of at the beginning of this year has walked off with the $1million ÅF Golden League Jackpot, the biggest annual payday in all of track and field. Pamela Jelimo, the 18 year-old Kenyan 800m sensation was a perfect six for six in the ÅF Golden League, winning tonight's race at the 31st Memorial Van Damme in Brussels in a meet record 1:55.16. Just minutes after her victory, Croation high jumper Blanka Vlasic missed her third attempt at 2.02m delivering the whole jackpot to Jelimo. Vlasic had won her five previous competitions on the Golden League circuit and was the only athlete who could have shared the jackpot with Jelimo. Jelimo was not only undefeated in the ÅF Golden League, but won the Olympic title as well. In fourteen 800m races this year, including heats, she won every one of them. What plans Jelimo has for the money is anyone's guess: the post-meet press conference has yet to be held. Subscribe to the Runner's Web Weekly Digest