TOKYO 2020: Kenyan trio seek to advance to the 800m semis

The Kenyan trio of Eunice Sum, Mary Moraa and Emily Tuei will be seeking to advance to the semifinals of the 800m as the Tokyo 2020 Olympics track events get underway on Friday early morning at the Olympic Stadium.

With all the three 2016 medalists locked out of the competition thanks to the new testosterone rule, the Kenyan girls will be hoping to sail past the two hurdles and make it to the final.

The experienced Sum doubles up as the overall team Kenya captain and will be in heat two which has reigning world champion and Ugandan Halimah Nakaayi who will be making her second appearance in the Olympics.

The 2013 World champion said she had already acclimatized to the weather in Japan and was looking forward to qualifying to the final as well as making to the podium.

The former Africa Championship silver medalist admitted that the team will miss the support from the fans but exuded confidence that the medal harvest will surpass that of the 2016 edition.

"The weather is good unlike during the 2019 World Championship in Doha where it was relatively hotter. I am ready for the heats and hopefully i will reach the final. The team is up to task and the goal is to better the medal tally we had in Rio," she said.

While Sum is almost a sure bet to cruise in her heat, former World U-18 400m silver medalist Moraa will be hoping that she will announce herself at the senior championship level with breathtaking performance.

Moraa who beat Sum during the trials at Kasarani took a leap of faith after scaling from the one lap race in September last year, a decision which paid off after she met the qualification time in the trials. Moraa, who doubles up as the reigning 400m national champion personal best in the two lap race stands at 1:59.25 will be in heat four which has notable athletes among them is World silver medalist Rogers Raevyn.

Tuei on the other hand is placed in heat six and will come up against seasoned athletes among them is American Ajee Wilson. She was part of the Kenyan team which took part in the 2017 World Championship.