The top races of 2018 continue today with the women's distance events. Previously, we've covered the hurdles, women's sprints and men's sprints. Today, we look back at the dominance of Caster Semenya, a dramatic finish in the 800m and a world record in the steeplechase. 

800m: Monaco Diamond League

Though it wasn’t Caster Semenya’s fastest race of the year, the Monaco Diamond League was a microcosm of the women’s 800m in 2018. Semenya went to the front, sans rabbit, from the outset and was never challenged on her way to running one of the fastest times in the history of the 800m. 

Her time of 1:54.60 was just off her PR from Paris three weeks prior and helped pull the rest of the field to season and lifetime bests. Four other women broke 1:57, including Francine Niyonsaba (1:55.96) and Natoya Goule who ran a Jamaican record of 1:56.15. 

1500m: Brussels Diamond League

Even though there was no global championship in 2018, the stakes felt high for the Diamond League final in Brussels. Shelby Houlihan was trying to close out an undefeated outdoor season, but the event was chock-full of medalists and potential medalists. Unlike the 1500m in Lausanne, this race didn’t feature Caster Semenya. Houlihan was there though, as was Laura Muir, Sifan Hassan, Jenny Simpson and Gudaf Tsegay. 

Muir and Hassan broke away with rabbits in the early laps, giving themselves an advantage over the rest of the field. Houlihan was able to bridge the gap heading into the final lap and she looked poised to once again outkick a Diamond League field. 

But Houlihan couldn’t get even with Muir in the final 100m--perhaps the work to cover the move in the penultimate lap took the pop out of her close. Muir took the victory in 3:58.49, Houlihan was second in 3:58.94 and Hassan took third in 3:59.41. 

5000m: Rabat Diamond League

This was the first of two slugfests between Hellen Obiri and Sifan Hassan over 5000m. Both times Obiri got the victory. 

In Rabat, Obiri held off Hassan in the last lap to run a world lead of 14:21.75. Hassan was second in 14:22.34. In total, five women broke 14:25 and the race produced the top five times of the season.

In the Diamond League final, the margin between the two was a bit smaller, but Obiri prevailed again--14:38.39 to 14:38.77. Hassan finally did get the better of Obiri at the Continental Cup 3000m when Hassan dropped a personal best of 8:27.50 to torch the field over the last kilometer.

3000m Steeplechase: Monaco Diamond League

This race wasn’t competitive, at least the front, but it did produce the only outdoor world record on the track in 2018. Beatrice Chepkoech’s 8:44.32 took a baffling eight seconds off the old world record as she left the best field in the history of the event far, far behind her.

But there were interesting developments behind Chepkoech. 

Courtney Frerichs ran 9:00.85 to finish second, breaking the American record and beating Emma Coburn for the first time in their 12 meetings in the event. Coburn ran 9:05.06 for fourth place, the second-best time of her career.