Paris Olympics trials: Just who’ll blink first?

The Kenyan trials in 10,000 metres for the Paris Olympic Games will take the limelight at the Prefontaine Classic scheduled for tonight at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon in the United States of America.

And some fast times are expected in both the men’s and women’s 25-lap race, especially with the additional Ethiopian flavour in the women’s battle. The programme starts at 10.40pm (Kenyan time), with the women’s 10,000m race taking place from 10.50pm. Men’s 10,000m race will take place from 12.05am, and men’s 100m early tomorrow (1.12am). Women’s 800m race will be run tomorrow morning from 2.34am.

Two-time reigning world cross country champion Beatrice Chebet, who is the world 5km, the world cross country champion and world 5km silver medallist Lilian Kasait, will once again take on each other at the stacked Olympic trials.

World half marathon silver medallist Margaret Chelimo, world half marathon bronze medallist Catherine Reline and the 10km world record holder Agnes Jebet Ng’etich are also in the mix.

Emmaculate Anyango, who rose to fame this year to represent the country for the first time at the World Cross Country Championships and Grace Nawowuna, who competed at the World Cross Country and World Championships last year, are on the start list.

Commonwealth Games 10,000m bronze medallist Selah Jepleting also joins the party. Apart from Kasait, who is eying her second Olympic Games appearance after finishing 12th in 5,000m at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games, the rest hope to make their first Games appearance.

Interestingly, world 10,000m champion Gudaf Tsegay from Ethiopia will join the Kenyans but on a different mission - to continue her record-breaking form.

Tsegay won

After downing Faith Kipyegon’s 5,000m world record of 14:05.20 within two weeks last year with a new time of 14:00.21, Tsegay took a shot at the Kenyan’s 1,500m world record of 3:49.11 at the Doha Diamond League on April 20 this year.

The Olympic Games 5,000m bronze medalist, who ran a superb 3:50.30 to win in Doha, will be taking a shot at the 10,000m world record held by fellow Ethiopian Letesenbet Gidey of 29:01.03 from 2021 Hengelo.

The 2023 world 10,000m silver medallist Daniel Ebenyo, who has the event’s leading time this year, and Benson Kiplangat, the 2021 world Under 20 champion, are among the Kenyan men to look out for. Both events are non-Diamond League races.

The 2022 world 10,000m silver medallist Stanley Waithaka and Nicholas Kimeli, who finished fourth in 5,000m at the Tokyo Olympics and world cross country this year, are also on the men's start list.

Kibiwott Kandie, the former world half marathon record holder and Commonwealth Games 10,000m bronze medallist, the 2021 world under-20 10,000m champion, and Samuel Chebolei, who finished fifth at world cross country this year, are among others to look out for.

Chebolei is also joined by his elder brother Ronald Kwemoi, who represented Kenya in 1,500m at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, finishing 13th in the final and Daniel Mateiko, who finished eighth in 10,000m at the 2022 World Championships.

Kimeli and Simiu were part of a trio that represented Kenya in 5,000m at the Tokyo Olympic Games, where they finished fourth and 12th, respectively and will be eying their second appearance at the Summer Games.

“It’s every athlete’s dream to be at the Olympics and I hope to perform well,” said Simiu, who upon settling for silver at the World Half Marathon in Latvia, declared that it was the last time that Kenyans would see him winning silver as he plans an assault in 10,000m at the Paris Olympics.

With home athlete Olympic 800m gold medallist Athing Mu out of the race, the focus is now on the reigning world 800m champion, Mary Moraa, in the 800m.

Moraa, who won the Doha Diamond League in 1:57.91 on May 10 before cracking 50.56 in 400m at the Los Angeles Grand Prix on May 18, will test herself against Keely Hodkinson, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics 800m silver medallist.

“My target is to run good times from what I have done this year, “said Moraa, who won the Kip Keino Classic in 1:57.96 and Doha in 1:57.91.

Africa record holder Ferdinand Omanyala will take on three-time world champion medallist Christian Coleman, the Olympic silver medallist Kenny Bednarek and the reigning World Indoor 60m bronze medallist Jamaican Ackeem Blake in 100m.

Coleman won the race last year, beating world champion Noah Lyles and Omanyala to second and third places, respectively.