Odira's fall highlights Kenya's struggles on penultimate day of World Indoor Championships

Saturday’s morning session turned out to be a rough outing for Kenyan athletes as they crashed out of medal contention on the second day of the World Indoor Athletics Championships in Nanjing, China.

None of the three Kenyans taking part in their respective semi-final heats progressed to the finals, as hopes for a first medal at the three-day event live on to the day’s afternoon session.

First to exit the championships on Saturday was Africa Games silver medalist Lilian Odira, who suffered a nasty fall in the last 50m to finish a disappointing sixth in the 800m.

In a dramatic Heat One, American Nia Akins, running just in front of Odira, took a tumble in the first lap after being squeezed out of the inner lane by Saint Vincent’s Shafiqua Maloney.

The fall, which Odira carefully evaded, saw the 25-year-old stay out in the back of the pack, and when she tried to get round the back on the final lap, tripped behind the aforementioned Maloney to only clock 2:16.12.

Olympic Games silver medalist Tsige Duguma won the heat in a time of 2:03.85, followed by her Ethiopian compatriot Nigist Getachew, who came second timing 2:04.01.

Portugal’s Patricia Silva was third in 2:04.20, rounding off the three qualifiers for Sunday’s final.

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South Africa’s Prudence Sekgodiso will also be in the final after finishing second in Heat Two.

Elsewhere in the men’s 800m, both Noah Kibet and Alex Ng’eno failed to advance past the semifinals, finishing fourth in their respective heats.

Kibet, an Indoor Championships silver medalist in 2022, clocked 1:48.90 in Heat One won by American Josh Hoey, while African champion Ng’eno timed 1:47.53 in Heat Three.

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Kenya, after that disappointment, will now shift its eyes on the day’s afternoon session, where the first medals could be won.

That prospect will come in the women’s and men’s 3000m finals, where Purity Kajuju and Cornelius Kemboi will fly the country’s flag.