Eunice Sum competing at the 2013 World Championships in Moscow
NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 27 – Moscow 2013 World Champion Eunice Sum just but managed to squeeze into the semi-finals of the women’s 800m at the IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar after being one of the six best fourth placed in the heats on Friday.
Sum, who won bronze at the 2015 showpiece in Beijing finished fourth in heat two after slowing down in the final 10m of the race, missing out on the top three automatic qualifying slots.
However, her finishing time of 2:02.17 was just but enough to get her through into the top 24 and keep her hope of qualifying for the final alive.
Sum seemed to have started well sticking to leader Raevyn Rogers at the bell after starting out on the outside lane. With the tempo picking up in the final 300m, the 31-year old began to fade but picked up her strength in the final 100m.
Sum is Kenya’s sole representative in the race after the withdrawal of youngster Jacline Wambui due to injury.
She looked well destined to finish either second or third, but she slowed down with the finish line just a few metres ahead allowing Great Britain’s Shelayna Oskan-Clarke to finish second while Australia’s Mitchell Morgan dipped her head in for third.
Meanwhile, London 2017 bronze medalist Ajee Wilson easily won the first heat in 2:02.10 Uganda’s Winnie Nanyondo had the fastes qualification time clocking 2:00.36 enroute to winning heat three.
