Emmanuel Wanyonyi races in the 800m heats at the World U20 Championships in Nairobi (© Dan Vernon)
Finnish heptathlete Saga Vanninen, the reigning European U20 champion, is on the verge of becoming Finland’s first ever world U20 heptathlon champion as she currently tops the standings at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Nairobi after six events, having competed in the long jump and javelin throw on Thursday morning (19).
The 18-year-old started her campaign on a good note on Wednesday, winning the 100m hurdles (13.60), high jump (1.78m) and shot put (13.30m). She finished second to Estonia’s Pippi Lotta Enok in the 200m with a personal best of 24.83 and won the javelin with a personal best of 49.22m, improving on her former mark of 48.88m, then settled for third in the long jump with a mark of 5.98m, following her lifetime best of 6.34m set in Tallin.
Nevertheless, she leads the women’s heptathlon with a total of 5326 points with only the 800m left. It is not her strongest event, but she has established a 373-point lead between herself and closest competitor Enok, who has amassed 4953 points.
Hungary’s Szabina Szucs is third on the standings with 4843 points and will slug out the battle for bronze with Austria’s Sophie Kreiner who comes with a faster time of 2:19.89 in the 800m as opposed to Szucs’ season’s best of 2:27.50.
Another Finnish athlete Heidi Salminen led the women’s 400m hurdles semifinals, winning the first heat in a PB of 58.12, just dipping on the line ahead of Frenchwoman Ludivine Aubert who clocked 58.46 for second. The third qualifier for the final from that race was Italian Angelica Ghergo (58.84).
Jamaica’s Garriel White ran a dominant race to take heat two with 58.65 as Poland’s Alicja Kaczmarek followed in 59.32. Canadian hurdler Savannah Sutherland clocked the second fastest time across the three heats, crossing the line in 58.45, while Jamaican Moseiha Bridgen placed second in that race in 58.88. Maria Tarabanskaya secured the fastest non automatic qualifying spot with 59.18.
The men’s 400m hurdlers also took to the track of the Kasarani Stadium to compete in the heats and authorised neutral athlete Denis Novoseltsev clocked the overall fastest time of 50.88 to win heat two, inspiring Kenya’s Peter Kithome to a personal best of 51.31 as South African Christiaan Venter settled for third.
Jamaica's 17-year-old Roshawn Clarke sped to the second fastest time in the heats, clocking a lifetime best to win heat one in 50.93. Slovakia’s Matic Ian Gucek and Kenyan Alocias Kipngetich placed second and third respectively with 51.27 and 51.41, a personal best for the latter.
Turkey's European U20 champion Berke Akcam took it easy and did just enough to win heat three, returning a time of 52.40 in the process. Heat four was won by Jamaican Devontie Archer in 52.17 while the final heat was taken by Oskar Edlund of Sweden (52.77).
The host country Kenya put up a strong showing in the men’s 800m heats and were spurred to victories in their respective heats. Emmanuel Wanyonyi led from start to finish to win heat three with the overall fastest time of 1:46.51, inspiring Yanis Meziane of France to a personal best of 1:47.28 in second place.
His teammate Noah Kibet was initially challenged by Czech Republic’s Jakub Davidik but held his own to cross the line in 1:46.70 as the latter followed in 1:47.84. Algerian Heithem Chenitef raced to a lifetime best of 1:49.19 in third. Another Algerian, Mohamed Ali Gouaned, won heat four with a time of 1:48.83 as Poland’s Kacper Lewalski also won his heat.
Ethiopia’s Ayal Dagnachew was the quickest across the women’s 800m heats. She dominated heat one with a personal best of 2:02.94 while Greek athlete Elli Eftychia Deligianni followed with 2:05.38. Hungarian Zita Urban finished third with a personal best of 2:07.39.
Another Ethiopian Mebriht Mekonen led the charge in heat two with her time of 2:08.62. Also qualifying for the semifinal from the same heat were Belgium’s Annelies Nijssen and Sri Lanka’s Tharushi Dissanayaka. Canadian Avery Pearson was too strong for the rest of the field in heat three with her time of 2:07.99, finishing ahead of Switzerland’s Valentina Rosamilia (2:08.89) and Mexico’s Lorena Rangel (2:09.86).
The final heat was won by European U20 silver medalist Svitlana Zhulzhyk of Ukraine in 2:07.61. Spanish athlete Marina Martinez and Veronika Sadek were second and third respectively in 2:08.21 and 2:08.34.
Yemi Olus for World Athletics
