By Leilah Bbaale
Uganda’s middle distance runner, Halimah Nakaayi set a new national record in the 800m race during the 2021 Herculis Wanda Diamond League in Monaco on Friday night.
Although Nakaayi finished in 7th place, she posted a personal best time and national record of 1:58:03 in the race that was won by Britain’s Laura Muir with a time of 1:56:73. Jemma Reekie, also from Britain finished in third place.
In the last edition of the same league at Oslo Diamond league in Norway few weeks ago, she had posted a season-best of 1:58:70.
On June 19th, 2021, Nakaayi had posted a season-best time of 2:00.62 and finished second at the Lyonnais Meeting in France. Before that, Nakaayi competed at the FBK Games in Hengelo, Netherlands on June 6, and posted a time of 2:2.52.
The improvement for Nakaayi is good news with only few weeks to the start of the Tokyo Olympics in Japan.
Meanwhile at the same event, Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Winnie Nanyondo finished 4th in the 1500m race won by Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon. Nanyondo posted a time of 4:01:18.
The duo Nakaayi and Nanyondo together with their training partner Ronald Musagala are the only middle distance runners who qualified to represent Uganda at the Tokyo Olympics.
