Nakaayi powers to 800m indoor world lead
Halimah Nakaayi powers to victory in France on Monday night. PHOTO/COURTESY PHOTO
What you need to know:
- Top form. Nakaayi delivered her own Valentine’s Day gift by winning her third straight 800m indoor race, this time in a world leading time in France on Monday night.
Middle-distance runner Halimah Nakaayi is in top form during the indoor season.
The 27-year-old has got her management Global Sports Communication and coach Addy Ruiter ecstatic after she won the 800m race during the Meeting de l’Eure in Val-de-Reuil, France on Monday night.
Nakaayi claimed her third straight victory of the year by posting a time of one minute and 59.55 seconds on the blue track inside the Stade Couvert Jesse Owens.
“She’s doing well, steady progress,” her delighted manager Jurrie van der Velden said yesterday.
The impressive performance by Nakaayi also thrust her to the world leading time over the distance in 2022. “Yeah so good for her, really made me proud,” a happy Jurrie stated.
The world 800m champion Nakaayi struggled to perform as desired at top level last year. She missed the indoor spell and as the outdoor business began, Nakaayi got injured in late April.
She lost time to recover, struggling to beat the two-minute barrier over the two-lap race in the season and consequently, she failed to make the race final at the Tokyo Olympics in Japan.
This year however, with Nakaayi bidding to defend her world title at the Eugene Championships in USA come July, she is in the desired shape evidenced by three wins in three races.
She improved the national indoor record over the 800m by posting 2:02.81 to win at the Karlsruhe Indoor Meeting in Germany on January 28.
Nakaayi lowered it further by winning in a time of 2:01.42 in Lievin, France on February 6 and on Monday, she dipped under two minutes for the first time on an indoor track.
In her sixth indoor race of her career, the group crossed the 400m mark at 58.5 seconds and when the bell rang, Nakaayi was at the front.
She delivered another powerful finish, leaving Ethiopian Tigist Girma and her Ugandan counterpart Winnie Nanyondo in her wake. Girma posted 2:01.68 while Nanyondo ran a time of 2:02.14.
Nakaayi has already qualified for the World Indoor Championships due March 18-20 in Belgrade, Serbia and Nanyondo must beat the target of 2:01.50 in her next races.
WORLD ATHLETICS INDOOR TOUR SILVER- MEETING DE L’EURE
WOMEN’S 800M RESULT
1 Halimah Nakaayi (UGA) 1:59.55
2 Tigist Girma (ETH) 2:01.68
3 Winnie Nanyondo (UGA) 2:02.14
