Emmanuel Wanyonyi in heat five of the men's 800m/ HANDOUTOlympic 800m champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi led Kelvin Loti and Nicholas Kebenei into the two-lap race semi-final as the World Athletics Championships entered Day 4 on Tuesday at the Tokyo National Stadium in Japan.
From the heats, the first three across the finish line plus the three fastest losers booked their slots to the semis scheduled for Thursday.
Alex Ng'eno was the first to line up in the 800m in Heat One, failing to punch his ticket after a sixth-place finish, clocking 1:45.37.
Spain’s David Barroso (1:44.94), Algeria’s
Djamel Sedjati (1:45.01) and Botswana’s
Kethobogile Haingura (1:45.02) claimed the
automatic slots.
Loti was the first Kenyan to secure his place in the semis after placing second in Heat Two, clocking 1:45.35 behind Spain's Mohamed Attaoui (1:45.23).
In Heat Five, Wanyonyi stamped his authority, finishing in 1:45.05 ahead of Italy's Francesco Pernici (1:45.11) and Ireland's Mark English (1:45.13).
Despite finishing fourth in Heat Seven, Kebenei's time of 1:44.91 guaranteed him a slot in the semis as one of the three fastest losers.
In an interview, Wanyonyi said the heats gave him a glimpse of what to expect in the semis.
“I have tested myself and I believe I am up to the challenge," he said.
He admitted that the weather conditions in Tokyo were crazy, but noted: “It is not just humid for me but for everyone.”
Asked if his participation in the recent Diamond League meetings would give him an edge in the event, he said: “The World Championships and the Diamond League are very different ball games."
While the Diamond League is a straight final, one must go through different stages at the world level. He observed that he has raced against most of those in Tokyo and knows what to expect as the championship continues.
