There was no angelic finish for Ugandan middle-distance runner Winnie Nanyondo after finishing eighth in the women’s 1500m World Athletics Championship final.
Nanyondo, perhaps still shaken by events from her semi-final heat, where she was twice shoved in the back and sent tumbling by Italian Gaia Sabbatini, fell short in the race won by Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon.
The 2014 Commonwealth gold medalist was eventually awarded a place in the final even after failing to finish the heat.
The middle-distance runner was still in the leading back by the final bell, but as the race got quicker in the final 400m, she failed to find the extra push, clocking 4:01.98 to finish eighth at the Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon (USA) on Tuesday morning.
The focus for Nanyondo who turns 29 in August 2022 now is the Commonwealth games that get underway on July 28.
Meanwhile, Kipyegon stamped her authority on the final from start to finish and produced a relentless run in the final 300m to take her second gold at the worlds in 3:52.96.
Ethiopian Gudaf Tsegay and Briton Laura Muir took silver and bronze, with Kipyegon quickly turning her attention to improving her personal best.
“I have to say I am thankful for my second gold medal,” Kipyegon said, adding; “I knew it was going to be fast so I was well prepared for that. Now I really want to get a new PB (personal best).”
Kipyegon was unstoppable all the way from the heats and came close to improving her fastest time at the Hayward field track set in May.
The Kenyan first won the world title in 2017 and settled for silver in 2019 Doha as she returned from childbirth, but has also won the last two Olympic gold medals over the 1500m distance.
Tsegay, second-fastest in the world this year, finished in 3:54.52 and will now turn her attention to the 5,000m having won Olympic bronze over the distance last year.
Tokyo silver medallist Muir clocked 3:55.28 to collect Britain’s first medal of the championship and her first in the event after finishing fifth, fourth and fifth in the previous three 1,500m world finals.
Chemutai drops out of Marathon
There was an even sadder story in the marathon as Immaculate Chemutai failed to go the distance in the Women’s Marathon on Monday evening in Oregon, USA.
Chemutai, who achieved the highest ever marathon finish for Uganda at the Tokyo Olympics, pulled out after 26 km in the event that saw disappointment for more athletes.
Favourite and defending champion Ruth Chepngetich from Kenya also pulled out with stomach issues as well as Ethiopian duo Ashete Bekere and Ababel Yeshaneh.
Gotytom Gebreselase from Ethiopia won the Marathon in a Championship record time of 2:18:11 while Kenya’s Judith Korir and Kenyan-born Israelite Lonah Salpeter picked silver and bronze respectively.
