All eyes will be on former Under-20 champion Reynold Cheruiyot and 2019 world gold medallist Timothy Cheruiyot as the men chase glory in the men’s 1500m this afternoon.
The Cheruiyots are on a mission to reclaim the 1500m glory in a star-studded final.
Expectations are high. Reynold promised a change of strategy ahead of today’s finals.
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The athlete, who has recently transitioned to the senior ranks, won his heat in the semi-final on Monday and is hopeful of an impressive show today.
“We are going to plan how for the final with Timothy and coaches. We are going to change some tactics in consultation with the coaches as we prpare for the final,” said Reynold.
On Monday, Reynold ran from the inside in the first lap before switching to an outside position in the final 400m.
He says he was plotting to avoid being locked in the pack in today’s clash.
Reynold produced a powerful kick after the final bend to win his Heat in 3:36.64. USA’s Cole Hocker (3:36.67), the reigning Olympic champion, followed in second place and Spanish Adrian Ben came in third in 3:36.78.
At the finals, the Kenyan duo faced defending champion Josh Kerr of Great Britain among other athletes with decorated CVs.
Reclaiming his 2019 title remains Timothy’s focus. His main rival, Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who is the winner of the Olympic title at the Japan National Stadium in 2021, was eliminated in the first round on Sunday.
Ingebrigtsen made his outdoor season debut at the World Championships after battling injury all year, but he didn’t have the fitness to advance to the next round, placing eighth in his heat.
With the Norwegian out of the way, Timothy and Cheruiyot have other big names to contend with as they eye glory in the final.
Timothy also faces athletics big shots such as Narve Nordas of Norway, Niels Laros (Netherlands) and former world champion Jake Wightman (Great Britain) among others.
The country’s fast-rising star Phanuel Koech’s ambition for a medal at the theWorld Championships was crushed by a fall in the early morning contest.
Koech started out well, racing from the outside but fell in the final lap and ended up finishing 12th in 3:42.77, failing to sail through to the semi-final.
Reynold had booked his semi-final slot in Heat 2 after finishing fourth in 3:41.17 behind Dutchman Laros who was third in 3:41.00 and Isaac Nader of Portugal (3:40.91). Italian Pietro Arese stopped the timer in 3:41.88.
In Heat 4 of the preliminaries, Wightman dictated the proceedings in 3:36.90, defeating Portuguese Jose Carlos who placed second in 3:37.09, while Kenyan-born turn American Jonah Koech qualified from third in 3:37.11.
Also this afternoon, Olympic bronze medallist Faith Cherotich is set for another grueling face-off with world champion Winfred Yavi, a Kenyan-born Bahraini in the women’s 3000m steeplechase final.
Cherotich, who won bronze in 2023 Budapest, qualified for the final alongside Doris Lemngole, who finished second behind Chemutai of Uganda in Heat 3 during round one on Monday.
Cherotich’s rivalry with 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, has not been giving Yavi the space to breathe.