OTC Elite’s Niyonsaba, Osagie post season-best marks

By Curtis Anderson | May 14, 2018

EUGENE, Ore. – Oregon Track Club Elite had two athletes post outdoor season-best marks in two different meets last Saturday.

Burundi’s Francine Niyonsaba won the 800 meters at an international meeting in the Guadeloupe Islands with a time of 2:01.97, beating USA’s Stephanie Brown (2:02.26) and Kenya’s Margaret Wambui (2:02.61).

Niyonsaba, the reigning Olympic silver medalist, used the race as a tune-up for her upcoming appearance in the 800m at the 44th annual Prefontaine Classic on May 26 at Hayward Field. She set the meet record of 1:56.72 in winning the 800m at her Pre Classic debut in 2013.

Elsewhere, Great Britain’s Andrew Osagie placed seventh in the 800m with a mark of 1:46.36 at the Diamond League meeting in Shanghai. It was his fastest season opener since 2014 and also met the qualifying standard for the 2018 European Championships.