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One more try for Nakaayi before Olympics

Nakaayi is charged towards the Olympic Games. PHOTO/COURTESY 

By  Allan Darren Kyeyune

Reporter

Daily Monitor

What you need to know:

Nakaayi, who pocketed a silver medal at the African Games in Ghanaian capital Accra back in March, must jostle a bunch of familiar foes for the podium come that final on the evening of August 5.

Perhaps, Halimah Nakaayi could be the last Ugandan elite runner with a warm-up race before the Paris Olympic Games.

Nakaayi is one of the five Paris-bound runners currently preparing out of the country.

The middle-distance runner will tomorrow run her final race before the Olympics when she competes over the women’s 800m race during the London Diamond League (DL) in England.

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This will mark Nakaayi’s ninth outdoor two-lap race of the season before attempts to make the podium in the French capital.

It has relatively been successful, Nakaayi lowering her own national record to one minute and 57.56 seconds in Los Angeles, USA earlier in the season.

Defending Olympic 800m champion Athing Mu’s failure to qualify for Paris via the USA Trials opened the window for that silverware.

On paper, the favourites will be reigning world and Commonwealth champion Kenyan Mary Moraa and the new European champion Keely Hodgkinson.

Nakaayi, who pocketed a silver medal at the African Games in Ghanaian capital Accra back in March, must jostle a bunch of familiar foes for the podium come that final on the evening of August 5.

She will face Great Britain’s Hodgkinson in London, with clearly her best chance at checking her body before the round one Heats in Paris on August 2.

The London field also has tricky opponents Jamaican Natoya Goule-Toppin, Great Britain’s Jemma Reekie, Australian Catriona Bisset and American Wilson Allie.

Hodgkinson has been unstoppable, winning all her five 800m races this year with her fastest time being - 1:55.78 during the Eugene DL in the USA - the quickest in the world this year.

After weeks of training with partner Dutch Sifan Hassan under coach Tim Rowberry in Utah, USA, Nakaayi wasn’t pleased with a time of 2:00.53 during her last race - at the FBK Games in Hengelo, Netherlands - on July 7.

Hodgkinson won in Hengelo but any improvement of that for Nakaayi will come in handy. 

UGANDANS IN ACTION - SATURDAY (4PM)

London Diamond League: Halimah Nakaayi (Women’s 800m)

2024 WORLD’S FASTEST WOMEN OVER 800M

1:55.78 by Keely Hodgkinson (GBR) on May 25

1:56.71 by Mary Moraa (KEN) on May 25

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

1:57.36 by Nia Akins (USA) on Jun 24

1:57.45 by Jemma Reekie (GBR) on May 25

1:57.56 by Halimah Nakaayi (UGA) on May 18

1:57.56 by Tsige Duguma (ETH) on May 18

FALL OF WOMEN’S 800M NATIONAL RECORD

Jul 17, 1989 - 2:02.95 by Evelyn Adiru

Jul 7, 1990 - 2:00.88 by Edith Nakiyingi

May 27, 2012 - 1:59.08 by Annet Negesa

Jul 18, 2014 - 1:58.63 by Winnie Nanyondo

Jun 27, 2018 - 1:58.39 by Halimah Nakaayi

Sept 30, 2019 - 1:58.04 by Halimah Nakaayi

Jul 9, 2021 - 1:58.03 by Halimah Nakaayi

Jul 16, 2023 - 1:57.78 by Halimah Nakaayi

Jul 23, 2023 - 1:57.62 by Halimah Nakaayi

May 18, 2024 - 1:57.56 by Halimah Nakaayi

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