Coaches scratch their heads over lost steeplechase glory

Team Kenya is burning the midnight oil as it strategises on how to reclaim the country’s lost glory in steeplechase at the World Athletics Championships.

Moroccan Soufiane El Bakkali, the Olympic and world champion, is giving Kenyan athletes sleepless. He yanked out Kenya from its comfort zone after dominating the race for years.

If the confidence of Kenyan coaches is anything to go by, then the country should expect a new dawn.

Coach David Letting and team manager Rono Bunei are confident that the upcoming Simon Koech, Commonwealth Games champion Abraham Kibiwott and Leonard Bett will shock the world.

The World Athletics Championships will be held on August 19 -27 in Budapest, Hungary.

The coaches opined that unless something unusual happens, the trio of the world record holder Beatrice Chepkoech, Commonwealth Games champion Jackline Chepkoech and world under-20 champion Faith Chepkoech should deliver for Kenya in the women’s race.

“They say world silver medallist Lamecha Girma and El Bakkali are favourites, but this is our event and we are determined to bring back the glory,” said Bunei.

Bunei said that the country should expect unusual medals from sprints with Commonwealth 100 metres champion Ferdinand Omanyala and 400m hurdler Wiseman Were going for the kill.

“The steeplechase titles are coming back,” said Letting, who remained guarded on what they are doing to ensure that. “We are not only looking at steeplechase, but also 5,000m and 10,000m.”

Letting said that it’s amazing how Omanyala’s performance has managed to transform sprints with local events in places like Eldoret attracting more than 10 heats — something that never used to happen.

The 27-year-old El Bakkali brought Kenya’s 38 year reign at the Olympics to a halt at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, winning in eight minutes and 08.90, beating Ethiopia’s Girma to second place in 8:10.38 with Kenya’s Benjamin Kigen settling for bronze in 8:11.45.

El Bakkali would again end the country’s 11- year dominance in the 3,000m steeplechase at the World Athletics Championships on Oregon last year, claiming victory in 8:25.13 as Girma went for silver in 8:26.01 with the defending champion Conseslus Kipruto settling for bronze in 8:27.92.

Kenyan-born Stephen Cherono, now Saif Saaeed Shaheen, was the only other athlete who had interrupted Kenya’s flow of victories at the world competition, winning in 2003 Saint-Denis and 2005 Helsinki.

Had that not been the case, Kenya would have had a clean sweep save for the inaugural 1983 Helsinki and 1987 Rome championships.

In a nutshell, Kenya has won 13 out the 18 world championships.

But if the country had read the signs of times, then it might not have relinquished its crown in men’s steeplechase.

The rain started beating us at the worlds when Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad of France interrupted the podium sweep that was synonymous with Kenyan athletes when he claimed bronze at 2011 Daegu and 2013 Moscow event where Ezekiel Kemboi reigned supreme in both competitions.

Then El Bakkali and American Evan Jager got silver and bronze in 2017 London before Girma and El Bakkali won silver and bronze at 2019 Doha as they pushed Conseslus Kipruto to victory in both races.

There were worries Kenya would flop had Kipruto not rallied to win bronze at 2022 contest in Oregon.