Kenya’s attempt to reclaim the men’s 10000m world title came tumbling down yet again yesterday.
The trio of former World Cross Country Under-20 champion Ishmael Rokitto Kipkurui, Edwin Kurgat and former world Under-20 5000m champion Benson Kiplangat were hoping to bring home the elusive gold medal in the 25-lap race.
Kipkurui came close to the podium but finished fourth in yesterday’s final. Kurgat placed seventh in a race decided by powerful kicks in the final lap.
The country will have to wait again until 2027 to end the title drought in an event that Kenya last won in 2001 in Edmonton, Canada, through Charles Kimathi.
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On Saturday, Kenya claimed the women’s 10,000m title through Olympic champion and record holder Beatrice Chebet.
Frenchman Jimmy Gressier was surprisingly crowned champion while Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia claimed a second silver medal, adding to his 2019 achievement.
Before Kimathi clinched the title in 2001, Moses Tanui had made Kenya proud in the 1991 event in Tokyo, while Paul Kipkoech secured gold in the 1987 Rome event.
The country’s men are now praying that the 3000m steeplechase squad, which is running its final this afternoon, bags a medal.
World Under-20 champion Edmund Serem will be looking to decorate his wall cabinet with a world medal as he lines up in the 3000m steeplechase alongside experienced stars.
On Saturday, he became the first Kenyan to book his spot in today’s finals of men’s 3000m steeplechase after a tactical race in Heat 1.
A star-studded field that progressed from the first round will be eying medals in what is expected to be a hotly contested event on Day 3 of the World Athletics Championships currently underway in Tokyo, Japan.
He will have the company of world silver medallist Abraham Kibiwott as they take on defending champion Soufiane El Bakkali of Morocco and the world record holder Lamecha Girma of Ethiopia.
The Moroccan has been unstoppable in the last two world championships, claiming the titles in 2023 Budapest and 2022 Oregon and has gold medals from the 2020 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
El Bakkali is guarding his reputation as the most decorated title holder, while Girma is out to confirm that he holds the fastest time in the event.
Girma has been a constant figure at the world podium since 2019, winning silver the last three editions, but the Serem, the teenager, is aiming at turning the tables.
During the first round on Saturday, Serem, who is aged 17, closely watched the moves from behind as Japan’s Ryuji Miura took the lead.
Serem stepped into the middle of the pack, just behind the leaders in the third lap. By this time, Getnet Wake of Ethiopia was holding the leadership position.
The teenager proved his mettle after clearing the last barrier when he unleashed a blistering kick, overpowering Ethiopia’s Getnet Wale on the final metres, winning his Heat in 8:29.92.