by Justin Lagat
Day two of the Nanjing World Indoor Championships began with drama in the morning and ended with thrilling races in the evening. Hailu and Ingebrigtsen won the championship’s first middle-distance track titles.
It was a morning marred with drama in the 800-meter races. The fastest qualifier, USA’s Nia Akins, was tripped in the first 50 meters by Shafiqua Maloney of Saint Vincent. She went down before getting up to chase after her fellow competitors, in vain. Coincidentally, Kenya’s Lilian Odira’s leg also came in contact with Maloney’s, and she went down in the last 50m meters.
There were also two appeals in the men’s 800m semi-final, launched by Poland’s Patryk Sieradzki and Yanis Meziane of France, but the Jury of Appeal denied the two appeals.
The only final in the morning was in the women’s Pole Vault, where French national Marie-Julie Bonnin equalled her national record with a 4.75m clearance to take gold.
After the hopes for a medal in the 800m event dwindled in the morning for Kenyan fans, all hopes shifted to 25-year-old Cornelius Kemboi and 28-year-old Purity Kajuju Gitonga in the men’s and women’s 3000m events. The two races kicked off the track session in the afternoon.
In the second half of the 3000m race, Kemboi took to the front with great determination to win a medal. However, he began to fade when Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi overtook him and increased the pace. Only Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen could manage to keep up with him. As they approached the bell, Ingebrigtsen made a move, trying to overtake, but Aregawi would not let him. In the last few meters, Ingebritsen got an opening on the homestretch and managed to edge him out, running 7:46.09 against 7:46.25. Ky Robinson of Australia won the bronze medal in 7:4709.
Ethiopia’s Freweyni Hailu exuded confidence from the start of the women’s race as she appeared to relax behind the field, allowing others to enjoy the front of the pack before it became her turn. Nazomi Tanaka of Japan did much of the pacing duties at the front, interchanging the role with Australia’s Jessica Hull. Hailu, a clear favourite coming into the championships with a seasonal and world-leading time of 8:19.98, then gradually moved to the front and established a fast pace that left the rest of the field following her in a single file. She won the race in 8:37.21. Shelby Houlihan of USA overtook Hull at the line to finish second in 8:38.26 against Hull’s 8:38.28.
Besides the epic 3000m races, other finals on track also kept fans glued to their screens. We witnessed the only podium clean sweep so far at the championships when USA’s Christoper Bailey won the men’s 400m race in 45.08, followed by compatriots Brian Faust in 45.47 and Jacory Patterson in 45.54.
Amber Anning of Great Britain ruled the women’s 400m in 50.60. As expected by many, USA’s Grant Holloway took the men’s 60m Hurdles title in 7.42 before Mujinga Kambundji of Switzerland gave a befitting climax to a great day by winning the women’s 60 race in 7.04.
