Uganda’s Nanyondo and Nakaayi blaze into Monday’s 800m WC final

🇺🇬
⏭ 800m
💠 Nanyondo 2nd Semi 1, into FINAL
💠 Nakaayi wins Semi 3, into FINAL

⏭ 10,000M women’s FINAL RESULT
1⃣6⃣ Stella Chesang
1⃣8⃣ Rachael Chebet
2⃣0⃣ Juliet Chekwel

Next action
💠 Monday
⏭ 9.50pm 3000 M Steeplechase final (Peruth Chemutai)
⏭ 10.10pm 800 M Final (Nakaayi, Nanyondo)

Prizes

▶ Finalists win…. 1⃣ $60,000 2⃣ $30,000 3⃣ $20,000 4⃣ $15,000 5⃣ $10,000 6⃣ $6,000 7⃣ $5,000 8⃣ $4,000

Doha, Qatar | AFP | Ugandan athletics fans will keep their figures crossed in the run-up to Monday’s World Athletics Championships 800 final despite two of their athletes advancing in style Saturday.

Winnie Nanyondo (1:59.75) was in charge of her semi-final heat, but seemed to struggle in the last 50 minutes with what looked like a thigh strain. She could face a late fitness test to make Monday’s final.

Her colleague Halimah Nakaayi won her semi-heat convincingly in a season best 1:59.35, but images midway the race seemed to show her pushing and shoving in the pack. The incident could be reviewed by the IAAF technical committee on Sunday.

The other race of the day involving Ugandans was the women’s 10,000 metres final that was won by Sifan Hassan. She secured her first global outdoor title on Saturday as the Dutch runner won the women’s 10,000 metres in the fastest time this year of 30min 17.62sec in Doha.

The 26-year-old Ethiopian-born athlete — who came to the Netherlands aged 15 as a refugee — stormed home clear of former compatriot Letesenbet Gidey who clocked 30:21.23. Agnes Tirop of Kenya took bronze in 30:25.20.

Ugandans will not be in action on Sunday, and return Monday night for the 3000m steeplechase final, and the 800m races. This will be followed by the steeplechase on Tuesday.

Gold medal favourite  Joshua Cheptegei (left) will run the 10,000m final a week from now, on the final day October 6, a day after Stephen Kiprotich in the marathon.

Superb Nakaayi race

“The stand-out athlete in the women’s 800m qualifying was Uganda’s small but powerful 24-year-old Halimah Nakaayi,” reported the IAAF website.

IAAF.Org described how she ” bundled her way between leaders Eunice Sum of Kenya and Natoya Goule of Jamaica like a latter-day Steve Ovett before surging on to win the last heat in a season’s best of 1:59.35.”

“Had Goule not gone on to advance as a non-automatic qualifier, there might have been an appeal but as it was the Ugandan, who had earlier bumped Sum, the 2013 world champion, from behind, advanced without bother.”

Ugandan team – Women (10)
400 Metres
Leni SHIDA
800 Metres
Halimah NAKAAYI
Winnie NANYONDO
1500 Metres
Esther CHEBET
Winnie NANYONDO
5000 Metres
Sarah CHELANGAT
10,000 Metres
Rachael Zena CHEBET
Juliet CHEKWEL
Stella CHESANG
Marathon
Linet Toroitich CHEBET
3000 Metres Steeplechase
Peruth Chemutai

Men (12)
1500 Metres
Ronald MUSAGALA
5000 Metres
Oscar CHELIMO
Stephen KISSA
10,000 Metres
Joshua CHEPTEGEI
Jacob KIPLIMO 1
Abdallah Kibet MANDE
Marathon
Stephen KIPROTICH
Fred MUSOBO
Solomon MUTAI
3000 Metres Steeplechase
Albert CHEMUTAI
Benjamin KIPLAGAT
Boniface Abel SIKOWO