Birmingham IAAF Diamond League (Sainsbury's Grand Prix) 2013

18-year-old Jessica Judd draws Mary Cain comparisons

Jun 30, 2013 by Christopher Chavez

Just a year ago, Jessica Judd finished eighth in her first Diamond League meeting. One year later, she leaves Alexander Stadium with a victory and personal best of 1:59.85 under her belt.

At only 18-years of age, she managed to make her move with less than 150-meters to go and take down an elite field. While the United Kingdom may be fawning over her latest accomplishments, which also include a win at the European Team Championships in Gateshead, Americans are ready to draw comparisons to their own Mary Cain.

Sunday's race was Judd's first time under the 2-minute mark and only Cain and Ajee Wilson have faster marks for runners under the age of 20. Wilson defeated Judd in Barcelona at the World Junior Championships for the gold medal. Judd would defeat Cain in the 1,500-meter run in Barcelona for fifth and sixth respectively.

Judd is coming off a cross-country season where she finished second at the Bupa Great Edinburgh Cross-Country race in 13:58. She would go on to run a 9:00.06 for 3,000-meters at the British Athletics Grand Prix indoors. After some early outdoor season 1,500-meter races, Judd turned her attention to the 800-meter run.

She managed to run 2:05.58 as a fifteen year old and progressively continues to improve with each year. An early investment is paying off for Nike as she is signed through 2013.

She will take the next week off from racing to gear up for the British Championships to see if she can land a spot on the roster headed to Moscow.

Even in the post-race interview with Marilyn Okoro, she admitted to similarities between Judd and Cain.

Chris Chavez is the 2013 European correspondent for Flotrack and a journalism major at Marquette University. He once beat Joey Fatone of NSYNC in a half-marathon. Feel free to to reach him with any questions, comments, or feedback on Twitter or by email.