Wiseman Were punches ticket to Budapest after reigning supreme in National Athletics Championships

Africa 400m hurdles bronze medalist Wiseman Were has punched a ticket to the 2023 World Athletics Championships set for August 19-27 in Budapest, Hungary.

Were achieved the qualification time after winning timing 48.52 in the National Athletics Championships final held at the Nyayo Stadium on Friday.

The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) sprinter not only retained his national title but also attained the qualification time for the global championships which stands at 48.70 seconds.

The Commonwealth Games 4x400m bronze medalist finished ahead of William Mbevi and Kipkorir Rotich who settled for the second and third positions after clocking 50.44 and 50.75 seconds respectively.

“I wasn’t feeling great before the race as I had raced in the 110m race like twenty minutes before. I am grateful to hit the qualification time. I am happy it will open more doors,” he said.

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Were, while expressing his excitement in qualifying for the big stage, revealed the areas he will seek to improve on before jetting out to Budapest.

“I have been trying to make it in like fourteen times but fell short. I had been recording around 49 seconds in the past races. When I look at my progression in terms of the times I have been recording, I am convinced that the impossible is nothing. I will now embark on working on the stride patterns and speed,” he explained.

The KDF athlete was in a class of his own as he had earlier on, retained the 110m hurdles title in another exciting final.

He becomes the fourth athlete to punch a ticket to Budapest after Commonwealth Games 100m champion Ferdinand Omanyala, World 800m bronze medalist Mary Moraa and the 2015 Africa Games 400m champion Boniface Mweresa.

At the same time, Rukia Nusra set a new national record in the 110m hurdles.

She clocked 13.87 seconds in the final erasing the record that had been in the possession of Priscilla Tubuda.

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Nusra, who had clocked 14.05 in the semis, proved that she had saved the best for the last as she lowered her time in the final.

Meanwhile, Emily Ngii of KDF won the women's title in 20km race walk after timing one hour, 40 minutes, and 51 seconds ahead of Sylvia Kemboi of Central Rift who finished second in 1:41.17. Margaret Ghati also of Central Rift came in third in 1:49.03

Olympic silver medalists; Timothy Cheruiyot and Ferguson Rotich as well as Commonwealth Games champion Wycliffe Kinyamal sailed to the men's 800m final.