(EUGENE, 21 July) – Natoya Goule and Adelle Tracey qualified for the semi-final round of the women’s 800m on day 7 of the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 at Hayward Field.
Natoya Goule went to the bell at 58.9 and crossed the finish line to victory in 2:00.06. Mary Moraa of Kenya finished second behind Goule in 2:00.42.
“I just wanted to go there today and stay in control,” Goule said.
“Stay in control like how Natoya can go because, normally, when we go there and run other person’s race, then we don’t run to our full potential,” she added.
She continued: “I just wanted to go there to qualify, top three, but I’m glad for the win.”
She said she was working on that last part of the race. “Definitely was, and I came to a conclusion that I might have had COVID and did not know because right before Penns, I was sick, I had a cold, and I was like, Oh, I had a cold, but when I look back at it, it could have been the COVID, and it was right after that I wasn’t finishing strong in my races.
“So I’m glad I’m stronger now and feel like myself again.
Asked what can be expected of her for the next round, she replied: “Well, that’s a good question. We’ll see that tomorrow.”
Adelle Tracey ran a personal best, 1:59.20, to book her spot in the semi-final round of the event. The heat was won by Diribe Welteji of Ethiopia in 1:58.83 ahead of Jemma Reekie of Great Britain in 1:59.09.
Chrisann Gordon-Powell did not make the next round with her 2:01.91 for fifth in her heat. Raevyn Rogers of the USA won the heat in 2:01.36.
Athing Mu, who won her heat at 2:01.30, is also in the next round.
