Road to Tokyo: Kenyan stars will be facing stern test

Global stars selected to fly colours of their respective nations in the upcoming World Athletics Championships in Tokyo will all be eyeing glory.

Olympic, world and continental medalists will be converging with one goal – to make their countries proud while chasing individual glory at the international showpiece scheduled for September 13-21.

Kenyan stars are already preparing to face big names representing different countries.

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From sprints to relay and to middle and long distances, Kenyan stars are preparing to face their opposition in Tokyo.

Africa’s fastest man in 100m, Ferdinand Omanyala, for instance will have to contend with a number of star sprinters among them Olympic champion Noah Lyles of the US and his compatriot Kenny Bednarek, Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo of Botswana and South Africa’s Akani Simbine, a Commonwealth champion among others.

Athletics Kenya President Jackson Tuwei on Sunday said Omanyala and the relay team were training at the Moi Sports Centre Kasarani warm-up track.

“The sprinters are training at Kasarani. We had discussions with Chan officials and they allowed our sprinters to train on the warm-up track as we engage with Miramas to explore a possibility of them training in France before departure,” Tuwei said in Eldoret.

Other squads are also training with the idea of facing global big shots in mind.

A majority of Kenya’s Tokyo-bound athletes have already taken on their challengers at the World Championships this season.

A contest pitting Olympic bronze medallist Faith Cherotich and world title holder Winfred Yavi of Bahrain is anticipated in the women’s 3000m steeplechase.

The duo has battled for glory this season and Cherotich has proved to be a strong rival to the World and Olympic champion.

Cherotich’s rivalry with Kenyan-born Bahraini Winfred Yavi in the women’s 3000m steeplechase can be compared to the close contests pitting Emmanuel Wanyonyi and Canadian Marco Arop in the men’s 800m last season.

This season, Cherotich, an Olympic bronze medallist, is not giving Yavi, the reigning Olympic champion space to breathe.

In June, Cherotich, who is transitioning to the senior ranks, proved once again that she was set to exert her dominance in the event after edging Yavi in a hotly contested 3000m steeplechase race at the Oslo Diamond League in Norway.

Cherotich, a 20-year-old diminutive figure, had stunned Yavi at the Doha meet on May 16 before reaffirming her push to become an authority in the women’s 3000m steeplechase.

At Oslo, the world bronze medallist stormed to a 9:02.60 world lead, out-kicking 25-year-old Yavi, who closely followed in second place in 9:02:76. Marwa Bouzayani of Tunisia, who placed fifth in Doha, moved to the fourth position in Oslo.

Four-time world champion Faith Kipyegon and double Olympic champion Beatrice Chebet will be facing Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia in the 5000m.

A mix of Kipyegon, Chebet and Gudaf will rekindle memories of a shove and nearly denied world defending champion (Kipyegon) a medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

There have been doubts on whether Norwegian star Jakob Ingebrigsten will compete in Tokyo in the men’s 5000m and 1500m. This follows an injury that has prevented the defending champion from battling for Diamond League glory.

The 24-year-old was set to run in the 1500m events in Silesia and Brussels on August 16 and 22, but pulled out and previously missed the Ostrava Golden Spike and Oslo Bislett Games in June as well as the London Diamond League meet in July.

Ingebrigtsen’s spokesperson Espen Skoland recently told the athlete’s fans that Ingebrigsten is recovering from an Achilles injury.

“He is still working on getting rid of the injury” and “would very much have liked to be able to participate,” said the spokesperson.

If he participates in the 1500m, then a rivalry with 2019 world champion Timothy Cheruiyot is set for renewal.