Nakaayi wins as Cheptegei finishes second
Jun 17, 2019
Nakaayi won the 800 meters at the Oslo Diamond League where other Ugandans Joshua Cheptegei and Peruth Chemutai finished second and seventh respectively.
Halima Nakaayi will be one of Uganda's athletes to watch this season.
Nakaayi won the 800 meters at the Oslo Diamond League where other Ugandans Joshua Cheptegei and Peruth Chemutai finished second and seventh respectively.
Double Commonwealth champion Cheptegei was beaten by Ethiopia's Selemon Barega in the 3000m flat while Chemutai raced in the steeplechase.
Nakaayi has consistently shined with top-three finishes, the first of which in Nanjing, China in May had her qualifying for the Doha World Championships.
That time she clocked 2:00.58 just inside the Doha 2:00.60 requirement.
Cheptegei might have failed to return to his winning ways but he still returned in a 7:33.26 personal best.
Barega's time of 7:32.17 was not only a world lead, but also a personal best.
Kenya's Norah Jeruto was also in blistering form running not only a world lead but also a meet record in 9:05.71.
Nakaayi who has consistently been in the headlines this season won the two-lap race in two minutes 01.93 seconds.
Chemutai has also consistently run within the 9:42.00 Doha requirement.
Cheptegei is also already assured of a place in Doha in his 10,000 speciality by virtue of winning the World Cross-country.
World athletics governing body IAAF grants automatic qualification to the athletics world championships to all senior men and women who finish in the top 15 at the world cross country.