Nanyondo on song, sets national record

Jul 19, 2014

Winnie Nanyondo had a double win on Friday evening after rewriting Uganda’s national record and also managed her first Golden league point, as she built up for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games

By Norman Katende

800 Metres - Women
1 Wilson Ajee (USA) 1:57.67
2 Sum Eunice Jepkoech (KEN) 1:57.92
3 Winnie Nanyondo (UGA) 1:58.63
4 Janeth Jepkosgei Busienei (KEN) 1:58.70
5 Ekaterina Poistogova (RUS) 1:59.31
6 Molly Beckwith-Ludlow (USA) 1:59.32
7 Laura Roesler (USA) 1:59.44
8 Jessica Judd (GBR) 1:59.99
9 Renelle Lamote (FRA) 2:00.06
10 Justine Fedronic (FRA) 2:00.41
Agatha Jeruto Kimaswai (KEN) DNF

Winnie Nanyondo had a double win on Friday evening after rewriting Uganda’s national record and also managed her first Golden league point, as she built up for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

The diminutive runner finished third after clocking 1 minute 57.67 seconds, behind America’s Wilson Ajee, who surprised world champion Kenya’s Eunice Sum by beating her on split seconds.

It was a great run for the IAAF World Junior championships finalist at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Monaco’s Stade Louis II, who could not hide her excitement.

“I am very happy. I have made it. I have come from very far,” she told the IAAF TV crew at the mixed zone.

Nanyondo, who has first improved ion her running skills, started on a good run as she managed to get a good position but with Sum taking on the race, all the focus was on the Kenyan and her compatriot Janeth Jepkosgei until the last 200m.

It was here that the field broke up and Nanyondo managed to stay amongst the top four and when the sprint started, she also hung on with that fighting spirit with experienced Russian Ekaterina Poistogova and Great Britain’s Judd Jessica falling off.

By the home stretch, Nanyondo was still battling with Jepkosgei for a third place as Ajee and Jepkoech Sum were visibly shoulder-to-shoulder to the finish.

Ajee took the evening with a 1:57.67 in the tough race where all the top eight registered a sub 2 minutes.

“It was a good run. I just hung on,” said Nanyondo, who had run 1:59:27 in Ostrava last month.

Annet Negesa owned the national record that was set in 2012 at 1:59.08.

Also related to this story

Nanyondo hits Glasgow mark with new PB

Nanyondo eyes Commonwealth medal, Kipsiro finishes 12th

 

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});