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Moraa, Korir book semi-final slots in women's 800m

Mary Moraa

Mary Moraa of Kenya competes in the Women's 800m heats on day seven of the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 at Hayward Field on July 21, 2022 in Eugene, Oregon. 
 

Photo credit: Christian Petersen | AFP

By  Bernard Rotich

Reporter

NMG Sport

What you need to know:

  • Mary Moraa and Naomi Korir sailed through to the semi-finals that will be held on Saturday morning at the Hayward University field in Oregon
  • Moraa came in second place in Heat 6 to automatically qualify for the semi-finals after timing 2:00.42 in a race won by Jamaica’s Natoya Goule who clocked 2:00.06
  • Naomi Korir settled fifth in Heat 4 clocking 2:01.61 to advance as one of the non-automatic qualifiers


Kenya Friday began their hunt for a gold medal in the women’s 800m race at the ongoing World Athletics Championships in Oregon, USA.

Mary Moraa and Naomi Korir sailed through to the semi-finals that will be held on Saturday morning at the Hayward University field in Oregon. 

Moraa came in second place in Heat 6 to automatically qualify for the semi-finals after timing 2:00.42 in a race won by Jamaica’s Natoya Goule who clocked 2:00.06 while Poland’s Anna Wielgosz was in third place timing 2:00.79.

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Naomi Korir settled fifth in Heat 4 clocking 2:01.61 to advance as one of the non-automatic qualifiers. France’s Renelle Lamote won that Heat in 2:00.71 ahead of Ethiopia’s Freweyni Hailu (2:00.93) and USA’s Ajee Wilson (2:01.02) who were in second and third positions respectively. 

Naomi Korir

Naomi Korir of Kenya competes in the Women's 800m heats on day seven of the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 at Hayward Field on July 21, 2022 in Eugene, Oregon.

Photo credit: Andy Lyons | AFP

Moraa already has nine sub two minutes including her personal best of one minute and 57.45 seconds set at the Kenyan trials on June 24, moments after winning her maiden Diamond League in 1:58.93 in Rabat on June 5 before finishing fourth at Rome Diamond League in 1:59.26 on June 9.

In Heat 1, Kenya’s Jarinter Mawia finished in fifth place clocking 2:02.35 in a race won by Ethiopia’s Diribe Weleteji who timed 1:58.83 ahead of Great Britain’s Jemma who timed 1:59.09 while Jamaica’s Adelle Tracey came in third in 1:59.20.

In 2019, Kenya's Eunice Sum finished fourth to miss out on the medals in the race won by Uganda’s Halima Nakaayi.

Since the inception of the games in 1983, Kenya has bagged two medals through Janeth Jepkosgei in Osaka 2007 and Sum in Moscow 2011. 

In the headlines