Kinyamal through to 800m final at Commonwealth Games

The 800m Commonwealth Games champion Wyclife Kinyamal moved a step closer toward defending his title after reaching the final on Wednesday.

Running in Heat 3 at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham, Kinyamal finished second behind Englishman Ben Pattison while Ghanaian Alex Amankwa was third.

Kinyamal Kenyan compatriots Elias Ngeny and Cornelius Tuwei failed to advance to the final scheduled for Sunday.

In women’s 400m, Mary Moraa finished last in Heat 4 with a time of 59.51 in what appeared like a deliberate attempt to preserve her energy for the 800m semis after qualifying on Tuesday.

Veronica Mutua reached the semis slated for Friday after finishing fourth in Heat 1 while Olympic and world 800m champion Emmanuel Korir was disqualified over a lane infringement.

In the 100m women’s final, Kenyan hopes lie with Maximila Imali who finished third in Heat 3 in a time of 11:30 to qualify for the semis.

Team Kenya will be hope to get its first gold medal in the championship through the women’s 10000m 25 laps race where Irine Cheptai and Sheila Chepkirui, who missed the World Championships in Oregon last month due to visa related issues, are due to compete.