Low key World Championships selections at Nyayo Stadium

Female athletes in action at the World Athletics Championship Trials at Nyayo Stadium on Thursday, Sept 12, 2019. [PHOTO: Jonah Onyango, Standard]

Confusion marked Day One of IAAF World Athletics Championships national trials at Nyayo Stadium.

From the onset, Athletics Kenya officials looked disorganised. The contest often billed as a mini-World Championships minus Ethiopians, emerged a low key event. Unlike previous years, the fans at the stadium were few. The oomph and colour that’s always experienced in these events is no more.

Athletics Kenya normally invites athletes to national trials and meets their accommodation. But not this year.

That’s not all. In men’s 800m, the pairing of athletes looked lopsided as top and fastest athletes were grouped in the same heat.

Commonwealth Games 800m champion Wycliffe Kinyamal, Emmanuel Korir and Ferguson lined up in semi-final one leaving US-based Emmanuel Saruni and some budding athletes among them Jonathan Kitilit in semi-final two.

Korir won 800m semi-final one in 1:46.6, Abel Kipsang finished second in 1:46.8 while the 2016 IAAF Diamond League trophy winner Ferguson Rotich secured an automatic place in the finals after finishing third in 1:46.9.  

Collins Kipruto won the second semi-final in 1:45.7 while Jonathan Kitilit was second in 1:46.3. Kipng’etich Ngeno was third in 1:46.7.