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Olympics 800m champion Emmanuel Korir faces uncertainty after failing to earn a place in the final at the Athletics Kenya Olympics trials leaving his title defence in jeopardy.
Olympics 800m champion Emmanuel Korir looks like he might not defend his title after failing to make it to the final at the Athletics Kenya Olympics trials on Friday.
Korir went into the trials under immense pressure as he has been out of form and dealt with injuries for nearly one year, and more worrying, he is yet to hit the Olympics qualifying standard.
However, any hopes of righting those wrongs at Nyayo Stadium quickly disappeared when he struggled in his semi-final to finish sixth in 1:50.38, way slower than the 1:44.70 needed to qualify for the Olympics.
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15:30 - 14.06.2024
Emmanuel Wanyonyi to execute different strategy for 800m final after being handed bye at Olympic trials
World 800m silver medallist Emmanuel Wanyonyi has received a major relief after being reinstated to Saturday’s 800m final, having missed out due to an unfortunate fall in the semi-final.
It leaves Korir starring at a bleak future unless the Athletics Kenya panel of selectors consider him as the third athlete to complete the 800m line-up after Saturday’s final.
However, with his poor form, it will be hard to argue a case for him, even if he is the defending champion, considering other Olympics holders have done their bit to get into Team Kenya.
The 28-year-old only returned to action at the Rabat Diamond League last month since his disappointing outing at the 2023 World Championships, when he was eliminated at the heats, and subsequently failed to defend his title.
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06:00 - 12.06.2024
Athletics Kenya Olympic trials: 3 big names who must get it right at 'mini Olympics'
Athletics Kenya will conduct its Olympics trials at Nyayo Stadium this weekend and there are three former champions who have no margin for error after recent disappointing spells.
Korir was just returning after a long injury layoff but found the going tough in Rabat, finishing ninth. That is not the kind of form that gets you into the team when there are other runners who have posted better results during that period.
Athletics Kenya made it clear that all athletes seeking to feature at the Olympics must turn up at the trials, even if they have hit the qualifying standard, with the first two across the line earning direct tickets.
The third athlete is, however, to be decided by a panel of selectors who will consider a number of factors, such as form or time before settling on the name.
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13:45 - 14.06.2024
Ferdinand Omanyala reveals his main time target before Olympics after strolling to 100m final at trials
Africa’s fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala has explained the time targets he is looking at before heading to the Paris Olympics.
Neither of this works in Korir’s favaour at the moment and only being a defending champion when he has not impressed on the track in the last one year might not be enough.
In the unlikely event that he is selected, Korir will have to look for other events to hit the qualifying standard before the June 30 deadline, and on current form, that looks like a long shot, which could be a costly gamble for Athletics Kenya.
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