Oslo decent shift reignites Nakaayi

Halimah Nakaayi can now have some breathing space again after producing her arguably best performance of the season during the Bislett Games in Norway this week. The world 800m champion smartly recovered from her 10th-place finish in Italian city Rome a week prior to deliver a season best (SB) in fourth place at the Oslo leg of the Diamond League (DL) on Thursday night.

Nakaayi ran a tactical race and looked sharper in the finish to clock one minute and 58.68 seconds at the Bislett Stadium. “Thankful for the season’s best,” she posted via her social media platforms on Friday.

She improved on her SB, previously 1:59.94 after sixth at the Eugene DL in the USA on May 28 by 36 micro-seconds. “The race was good,” she remarked in a chat. Before the race, her coach Addy Ruiter opted not to discuss much about the two-lap race in Oslo.

Inept show

The Dutchman was lost for words after Nakaayi had withered from third to 10th place in the final 80m during the Rome DL on June 9. However, Nakaayi looked to have read the room, producing a stellar kick to rise from eighth at the bell to dip in and finish fourth. “It was a good race. Sadly the gap was not coming until 30m to go,” Ruiter noted.

Nakaayi did all the hard work in the inside lane, pushing through for space between the likes of Jamaican Natoya Goula and Ethiopian Diribe Welteji to finish behind the British pairing of Keely Hodgkinson and Laura Muir and French girl Renelle Lamote.

Olympic 800m silver medallist Hodgkinson won in 1:57.71, the second fastest time in the world this year while 1500m Olympic silver medallist Muir was delighted with her1:58.09.

Oslo diamond league

WOMEN’S 800M

1. Keely Hodgkinson (GBR) 1:57.71

2. Laura Muir                (GBR) 1:58.09

3. Renelle Lamote    (FRA) 1:58.50

4. Halimah Nakaayi (UGA) 1:58.68

MEN’S 5000M

1. Haile Bekele           (ETH) 13:03.51

2. Samuel Tefera     (ETH) 13:04.35

3. Getnet Wale         (ETH) 13:04.48

8. Peter Maru            (UGA) 13:07.42 

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