NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 22 – Olympic champion Emmanuel Korir, Commonwealth Games holder Wycliffe Kinyamal and World Under-20 Champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi all cruised into the final of the men’s 800m at the World Athletics Championship in Eugene, Oregon early Friday morning.
Korir and Kinyamal finished first and second in Heat One to automatically qualify for the final while Wanyonyi finished third in his heat, but his time was enough to take him through as one of the top two non-automatic qualifiers.
Korir ran the fastest time this season, clocking 1:45.38 to win the race, just dipping ahead of Kinyamal who clocked 1:45.49.
The Olympic champion had been at the basement of the pack at the bell, but with his long kicks galloped his way up to the front as he began to eat into the lead with 200m to go.
In the final 100m of the race, he managed to glide into the lead, pipping Kinyamal at the line, the Commonwealth Champion having stuck to the lead from the start.
Australian Peter Bol who finished third in 1:45.58 also managed to squeeze into the final as one of the two non automatic qualifiers.
In Heat Three, Wanyonyi managed to finish third courtesy of a spirited sprint in the final 50m, having ensured he grabbed himself space at the bell.
Algerian Slimane Moula won the Heat in a time of 1:44.89, the fastest of the three heats, ahead of Canadian Marco Arop who timed 1:45.12.
Wanyonyi timed 1:45.42 for third, again faster than Kinyamal’s second place time in Heat Two.
The other Kenyan in the semi Noah Kibet finished bottom of his Heat after kicking out early and losing gas at the home stretch.
Meanwhile, Mary Moraa waded into the semis of the corresponding women’s race when she finished second in her heat behind Jamaica’s Natoya Goule.
The Kenyan champion clocked 2:00.42 behind Goule who timed 2:00.06.
Naomi Korir just but managed to squeeze into the semis despite finishing sixth after finishing off as one of the non-automatic qualifiers courtesy of her time. She clocked 2:01.61 to earn a place in the semis.
Meanwhile, African champion Jarinter Mawia did not make the final after finishing fifth in her heat and her time of 2:02.35 wasn’t enough to hand her a non-automatic qualification.
