Orogot, Nakaayi post fine starts to indoor season

Uganda’s elite running duo of Halimah Nakaayi and Tarsis Orogot share a main goal for the year: podium at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

The preparations for that job due the summer began as soon as they completed action at the Budapest World Athletics Championships in Hungary last August.

Both Nakaayi and Orogot have taken the indoor season seriously over the past two seasons. At the weekend, they both started in high gear.

First, Nakaayi on Saturday produced a strong finish to win the women’s 800m during the Metz Moselle Athleor at the Halle d’Athlétisme de Metz in France.

The 2019 world 800m champion ran a tactical race to win in a time of one minute and 59.15 seconds, for the world lead time indoors.

“I decided to be the Hunter, so I only needed to finish strong,” said Nakaayi. She ran behind about four runners; Briton Jemma Reekie, Benin’s Noelie Yarigo and Swiss Audrey Werro and a pace maker.

The latter took the group through the first lap of the short 200m track in 27.00 seconds and then 57.33 at 400m.

By 600m, Reekie was leading and looked destined to win but Nakaayi powered from fourth place to go past Werro and Yarigo to lead in the home stretch, thereby setting a new meeting record.

A few hours earlier, University of Alabama student Orogot had produced the second fastest indoor time in 2024 over the 200m when he won at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic.

Orogot in lane 5 produced a solid time of 20.34 at the Convention Center in Albuquerque. “This was a season opener so not really much emphasis on the time rather on the things we have been working on during the offseason,” said the Orogot.

“It was a good start, I just have to keep practicing to have it consistent at all times,” added 21-year-old. The performances are vital for the duo ahead of the World Athletics Indoor Championships set to be in Glasgow, Scotland from March 1-4.

Orogot last year won a bronze medal at the NCAA Division I Indoor Championship Finals while Nakaayi won a historic 800m bronze at previous World Indoors in Belgrade, Serbia two years ago.

WORLD ATHLETICS INDOOR TOUR - SILVER

METZ MOSELLE ATHLEOR

WOMEN’S 800M RESULT

1 Halimah Nakaayi (UGA)          1:59.15

2 Jemma Reekie (GBR)              1:59.42

3 Noelie Yarigo (BEN)                2:00.66

4 Audrey Werro (SUI)                2:00.80

NEW MEXICO COLLEGIATE CLASSIC

MEN’S 200M SHORT TRACK - RACE 1

1 Tarsis Orogot (UGA)               20.34

2 Da'marcus Fleming (USA)        20.82

3 Connor Washington (USA)       21.05