Lausanne offers Nakaayi chance for redemption

Halimah Nakaayi left Paris Olympics in a more familiar figure of dejection a fortnight ago. For three successive editions of the Olympic Games, Nakaayi had failed to reach the women’s 800-metre final.

And for a runner with so much success over this distance after a decade-long spell, it was unbearable to see her fade out in the women’s repechage Heats at the Stade de France.

A time of two minutes and 2.88 seconds on August 3 marked her second slowest time in an outdoor season where she has lowered her own national record (NR) twice.

“I accept everything and life continues,” she said after the unexpected finish in Paris. Surely at 1:57.26, Nakaayi is the only Ugandan woman to ever dip under a 1:58-minutes and she is even the joint eighth fastest woman this year.

Nakaayi trains with Dutch Sifan Hassan under coach Tim Rowberry’s guise. And definitely, the Ugandan is already setting sights on the Tokyo 2025 World Athletics Championships.

Her preparations start immediately with a two-lap test at the Lausanne leg of the Wanda Diamond League (DL) in Switzerland on Thursday.

Nakaayi knows her potential is much better than the shocks she has suffered at recent major championships. And in Lausanne, she hopes to show it when she competes in a field of 12 ladies at the Stade Olympique de la Pontaise.

“Insha Allah,” she said. Since Paris, Nakaayi has been training at the Global Sports Communication camp in Nijmegen, Netherlands. The 29-year-old must run under 1:59.00 to secure a slot to the Tokyo Worlds in Japan come next September.

More importantly, a top-four placing for Nakaayi will give her a chance for a slot in the DL final in Brussels, Belgium in mid-September.

Nakaayi will face a field comprising Olympic bronze medallist Kenyan Mary Moraa as well as British pair of Jemma Reekie and Georgia Bell, who are the second and third-fastest runners in the world this year.

LAUSANNE DIAMOND LEAGUE

UGANDAN IN ACTION - THURSDAY (9PM)

Halimah Nakaayi (Women’s 800 metres)

2024 WORLD’S FASTEST WOMEN OVER 800M

1:54.61 by Keely Hodgkinson (GBR) on Jul 20

1:54.61 by Jemma Reekie (GBR) on Jul 20

1:56.28 by Georgia Bell (GBR) on Jul 20

1:56.71 by Mary Moraa (KEN) on May 25

1:56.83 by Natoya Goule-Toppin (JAM) on Jul 20

1:57.06 by Rénelle Lamote (FRA) on Jul 20

1:57.15 by Tsige Duguma (ETH) on Aug 5

1:57.26 by Prudence Sekgodiso (RSA) on May 19

1:57.26 by Halimah Nakaayi (UGA) on Jul 20

FALL OF WOMEN’S 800M NATIONAL RECORD

Jul 20, 2024 - 1:57.26 by Halimah Nakaayi

May 18, 2024 - 1:57.56 by Halimah Nakaayi

Jul 23, 2023 - 1:57.62 by Halimah Nakaayi

Jul 16, 2023 - 1:57.78 by Halimah Nakaayi

Jul 9, 2021 - 1:58.03 by Halimah Nakaayi

Sept 30, 2019 - 1:58.04 by Halimah Nakaayi

Jun 27, 2018 - 1:58.39 by Halimah Nakaayi

Jul 18, 2014 - 1:58.63 by Winnie Nanyondo

May 27, 2012 - 1:59.08 by Annet Negesa

Jul 7, 1990 - 2:00.88 by Edith Nakiyingi

Jul 17, 1989 - 2:02.95 by Evelyn Adiru