NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 21 – There will be several Kenyan athletes in action on the seventh day of action at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, though none will be medal chasing events.
This is how Kenyan athletes will line out on day seven at Hayward field.
3:10am – Women’s 800m Heats
Kenya will be represented by three athletes in the heats of the two-lap race and they will be keen to emulate their make counterparts, all who sailed into the semis on Thursday morning.
All eyes will be on Mary Moraa who is in sizzling form with two Diamond League wins under her arms as well as a new Personal best over the distance and a National Record in the 400m, all set during the National Trials last month.
She will line up in the final Heat, looking to book a slot in the semis. Among the competition expected in her Heat includes Jamaican Commonwealth Games Bronze medalist Natoya Goule.
Recently crowned African champion Jarinter Mawia will be the first Kenyan on the track in Heat One, while Naomi Korir who finished second in Mauritius at the Africa Champs will line out in Heat Four, alongside American Ajee Wilson, the bronze medalist from Doha 2019.
Kenya has not won the women’s title since Eunice Sum zoomed to victory in 2013 and onus will be on the trio to get the respect back.
4:10am – Men’s 5,000m Heats
Nicholas Kimeli, the fastest man over the 5,000m this season will be the leading light for Kenya in this race, as the country looks to try and wrestle back the title after years of playing second fiddle to Ethiopians, and lately Ugandans.
Kimeli will line up in Heat One which will be loaded with talent as it will have Olympic champion Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda who already has a 10,000m gold around his neck as well as silver medalist from 2019, Selemon Barega of Ethiopia.
Meanwhile, youngsters Daniel Simiu and Jacob Krop will be in Heat Two where opposition is expected from the Ethiopian duo of defending champion Muktar Edris and Yomif Kejelcha.
Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen who missed out on the 1500m gold will be seeking to make amends over the longer distance and will also compete in this Heat.
In Doha 2019 and London 2017 Kenya failed to win a single medal. Benjamin Limo was the last Kenyan to win the title in 2005.
4:35am – Men’s javelin throw qualification
Julius Yego, the 2015 World Champion will be Kenya’s sole flagbearer in the javelin event, having qualified by virtue of being the African champion.
Yego has struggled to go beyond the 80s this season and threw a Season Best of 80.62m during the trials. He has not competed in many events abroad, his only travel being to Mauritius where he defended his African title.
He will be in the same qualification group with World Leader Anderson Peters who has a massive lifetime and season best of 93.07m. German Julian Weber who has thrown 89m this season is also in this group.
5am – Men’s 800m semi-finals
The Kenyan quartet of Olympic champion Emmanuel Korir, Commonwealth champion Wycliffe Kinyamal, World Under-20 Champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi and Noah Kibet will all line up in the semis for a shot at the final.
Korir easily won his Heat early Thursday morning while Kinyamal was second, Wanyonyi third and Kibet qualified as one of the non-automatic qualifiers having finished sixth in his heat.
In the semis, Kinyamal and Korir go out first in Heat One, Kibet in Heat Two while Wanyonyi will battle in heat Three where he will have Marco Arop for company, the lanky Canadian having clocked the fastest qualification time.
