Uganda’s Tom Dradriga has failed to progress from the men’s 800 metres heats at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo after finishing sixth in his race.
The two-time national champion clocked 1:46.18 on Tuesday afternoon, falling short of the automatic and time qualification slots required for Thursday’s semifinals.
Dradriga lined up in the second heat alongside defending champion Marco Arop of Canada.
He needed a top-three finish to secure automatic qualification but crossed the line in 1:46.18, outside both the automatic and time qualification slots.
The heat was won by Spain’s Mohamed Attaoui in 1:45.23, with Kenya’s Kelvin Kimtai Loti second in 1:45.35, and Arop third in 1:45.39, the three progressing to Thursday’s semifinals.
This marks another early exit for Dradriga, who also missed out on the semis at the last edition in Budapest.
Expectations had been high for him to improve in Tokyo, given Uganda’s push to add to the two medals secured in 2023.
Uganda now shifts focus to Olympic champion Peruth Chemutai, who qualified for the women’s 3000m steeplechase final on Monday.
She will compete on Wednesday at 3:57 pm EAT, as the country continues to chase its first medal of this year’s championships.
