Ayanleh Souleiman qualified for the 800 m race by having a qualifying time better than 1:46.00. He placed first in his heat for the 800 m with a time of 1:45.48, which qualified him for the semifinal round along with three other runners in his heat. There were seven heats in the first round. Hassan Mohamed Kamil, Secretary of State for Youth and Sports, congratulated him saying, "May God give him the strength to win the next competitions and always raise the national colors." Souleiman finished with a better time in the semifinal round with a time of 1:45.19, but placed fourth in the heat and did not qualify for the final round. He would have needed to beat Ferguson Cheruiyot Rotich's time of 1:44.65 to qualify for the final round.