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Redemption time for Nakaayi, Chemutai
Halima Nakaayi is experiencing a rennasaince this year. PHOTO/COURTSEY
What you need to know:
For Chemutai, a year after winning the Olympic 3000m steeplechase title in the Japanese capital Tokyo, she suffered a bacterial infection and barely executed her race in Eugene. She finished a distant 11th in that final.
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY. Halimah Nakaayi and Peruth Chemutai carried some of the heaviest disappointment in Team Uganda’s camp after the Oregon World Athletics Championships in Eugene, USA last year.
First, Nakaayi couldn’t believe that her world 800m title ended earlier than expected at the Hayward Field. She never reached the final, after consistently struggling to make it out of traffic at halfway mark of races all season.
For Chemutai, a year after winning the Olympic 3000m steeplechase title in the Japanese capital Tokyo, she suffered a bacterial infection and barely executed her race in Eugene. She finished a distant 11th in that final.
A year later, these two high profile elite runners want better at the Budapest Worlds here in Hungary. First, let’s begin with Nakaayi. She requested to switch from coach Addy Ruiter to work with Tim Rowberry in the USA at the start of the season.
Rowberry has extracted something more from Nakaayi’s spikes and she last month broke her own national record (NR) twice in a space of week to one minute and 57.62 seconds.
Nakaayi has spent a great part of the past few days on the warm-up track in the company of training partner Dutch girl Sifan Hassan.
Ranked fourth in the world over the two-lap distance, Nakaayi hopes for a fine start when she starts her quest in Heat 4 of the 800m this morning.
The nine-lady group must be careful about the extreme temperatures and Nakaayi will target a top-three finish but Renelle Lamote is her biggest threat here.
There are three Heats with the top three per Heat and the next fastest three advancing to the semi-final Heats due Friday.
Meanwhile, Chemutai has struggled once again with illness at the start of the season and recently but Ruiter waits to see the state of her body when she competes in Heat 2 of the seven-and-a-half water-jump race on Wednesday.
“She was sick three weeks ago and it was bringing her body down. So we have to see this week how she is recovering,” he said. Chemutai’s best time this season has been 9:11.91, which is about 10 seconds away from her personal best.
Chemutai must finish among the top five to qualify for Sunday’s final and the 12-lady field has Ethiopian Sembo Almayew (9:00.71) and Kenyan Faith Cherotich (9:06.43) as the fastest this year.
In the women’s 5000m, both Sarah Chelangat and Prisca Chesang must finish in the top eight places in their varying Heats.
BUDAPEST WORLD ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS
DAY FIVE - UGANDANS IN ACTION ON WEDNESDAY
11.29am: Halimah Nakaayi (Women’s 800m Heat 4)
12.48pm: Tarsis Orogot (Men’s 200m Heat 5)
8.02pm: Sarah Chelangat (Women’s 5000m Heat 1)
8.27pm: Prisca Chesang (Women’s 5000m Heat 2)
9.08pm: Peruth Chemutai (Women’s 3000m St. Heat 2)
DAY SIX - THURSDAY
8pm: Joshua Cheptegei, Oscar Chelimo (Men’s 5000m Heats)
9.20pm: Men’s 200m Semi-Final Heats
DAY SEVEN - FRIDAY
9:20pm: Women’s 800m Semi-Final Heats
10.25pm: Men’s 200m Semi-Final Heats
