Nakaayi eyes medal in World Indoors 800m final

🔴 TODAY

8.05pm  | 800m final – Nakaayi 🇺🇬

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Saturday Results summary

➡800m finalists
Habitam Alemu 🇪🇹 2:01.12Q
Catriona Bisset 🇦🇺 2:01.24Q
Halimah Nakaayi 🇺🇬 2:01.47q
Natoya Goule 🇯🇲 2:01.65Q
Freweyni Hailu 🇪🇹 2:01.70Q
Lindsey Butterworth 🇨🇦 2:01.99q
Ajee’ Wilson 🇺🇸 2:03.42Q
Lorena Martin 🇪🇸 2:03.85Q

➡1500m W final
1⃣ Gudaf #Tsegay 🇪🇹 3:57.19
2⃣ Axumawit Embaye 🇪🇹 4:02.29
3⃣ Hirut Meshesha 🇪🇹 4:03:39
4⃣ Winnie Nanyondo 🇺🇬 4:04.60
5⃣ Josette Norris 🇺🇸 4:04.71

Belgrade, Serbia | THE INDEPENDENT | Halimah Nakaayi holds the world’s second fastest time of the year in 1:58.58, but was made to sweat Saturday to earn her place in the 800 final at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Belgrade 22.

Nakaayi finished third in her heat, the fastest of three heats with the top 3 best times, to qualify as one of the two best 3rd place finishers. The first two in each heat qualified automatically.

Despite having the fourth fastest time in the qualifiers after winning her heat easily,  Natoya Goule of Jamaica remains favourite.

World 800m outdoors champion Nakaayi gets a chance today to make up for two year’s of below par performances, but she will have edge out the two who beat her in the heats to snatach a medal

Nakaayi has been improving her form since the beginning of the season running a good time and most recently in the World Athletics Indoor Tour Silver event in France where she became the first woman to run under 2 minutes this year.

Having struggled to find her good form last year after suffering a knee problem in April, the 800m reigning World Champion was far below her best before and after the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Earlier, Uganda’s 2018 Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Winnie Nanyondo finished fourth in the 1,500m final.

Gudaf Tsegay,25 led an Ethiopian clean sweep of the medals in the women’s 1500m final, the first by any nation in any event in world indoor history.

Tsegay led from start to finish, crossing the line in 3:57.19. Team mate Embaye took another silver, clocking 4:02.29, with Meshesha claiming bronze in 4:03.39 – ahead of Ugandan Winnie Nanyondo (4:04.60) and Josette Norris of the US (4:04.71).