Kenya eyes 3000m steeplechase, 1500m finals at Lima World U-20 Championships

As the World Under-20 Athletics Championships in Lima, Peru, enter the second day, Kenyan athletes are poised to make their mark, with a focus on the 3,000m steeplechase and the 1,500m preliminaries.

Edmund Serem, the African 3,000m steeplechase silver medalist, and Mathew Kosgei, the bronze medalist, will compete tonight at 8:50 p.m. in the 3,000m steeplechase preliminary round.

Both athletes draw inspiration from their families, with Serem following in the footsteps of his older brother, Olympian Amos Serem, who claimed the 3,000m steeplechase title at the U20 Championships in Nairobi in 2021.

Kosgei, on the other hand, is motivated by his father, William Koskei Chemitei, a steeplechase legend who won gold at the 1988 Sudbury Games.

Kenya’s steeplechasers will be aiming to return to the podium after missing out at the 2022 edition in Cali, Colombia, where Ethiopians Samuel Duguna and Samuel Firewu took gold and silver, with Morocco’s Salaheddine Ben Yazide claiming bronze.

In the 1,500m event, 2023 Commonwealth Games 1,500m champion Josphat Kipkirui is set to compete alongside Collins Koech.

Kipkirui has been honing his skills with Olympic 800m champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi and is eager to showcase his progress.

The 18-year-old attributes his rise to the mentorship of 2008 Olympic 800m silver medalist Janet Jepkosgei, Kipkirui also claimed victory at the 2023 African U18 Championships in Ndola, Zambia.

In the women’s 1,500m event, Mary Nyaboke is determined to reclaim Kenya’s crown after Ethiopia’s Birke Haylom edged her out in the 2022 edition that was held in Kenya.

Purity Chepkirui had previously secured the title at the 2021 games in Nairobi with a time of 4:16.07.

However, in Cali, both Chepkirui and Brenda Chebet were outpaced by Haylom, who set a course record of 4:04.27.

Miriam Chemutai will join Nyaboke in the quest for gold.

Event Schedule (EAT)

3,000m Steeplechase Heats  

Men: Mathew Kosgei, Edmund Serem (Wed 8:50 p.m.)

5000m Heats

Men: Josphat Kipkirui, Collins Koech (Thur 12:10 a.m.)  

Women: Miriam Chemutai, Mary Nyaboke (Thur 12:45 a.m.)