Ethiopia main threat as Kenya targets world indoors breakthrough

In Belgrade

The World Indoor Athletics Championships get underway at the Štark Arena in downtown Belgrade Friday with Kenya primed for an intriguing battle with Ethiopian neighbours for Africa’s bragging rights at this global contest.

Ethiopia is by far the most successful African nation indoors. They have, interestingly, won a total of five medals at each of the last five editions since 2010, having bagged six medals at the 2008 contest in Valencia, Spain.

The World Indoor Championships are held once every two years with the inaugural competition launching in France at the Palais Omnisport in Paris-Bercy in 1985.

According to World Athletics, a total of 680 entries (372 men and 308 women) have entered this weekend’s edition in the Serbian capital, including 10 defending champions from the last contest along with several Olympic champions from last year’s Tokyo Olympic Games.

The Olympic champions expected to spice up this weekend’s contest include Ryan Crouser (shot put), Mondo Duplantis (pole vault), Jakob Ingebrigtsen (1,500 metres) and Yulimar Rojas (triple jump), plus Selemon Barega (3,000m), Marcell Jacobs (60m), Shaunae Miller-Uibo (400m), Katie Nageotte (pole vault), Pedro Pichardo (triple jump), Gianmarco Tamberi (high jump), Miltiadis Tentoglou (long jump) and Damian Warner (heptathlon).

Kenya has entered 10 athletes here with Ethiopia fielding 14, including champions from this year’s World Indoor Tour Gudaf Tsegaye and Lemecha Girma.

Lemecha will team up with Selemon Barega and Berihu Aregawi seeking a sweep of the 3,000m race where Kenya is represented by Daniel Simiu and Jacob Krop, setting up what could be the championship’s most exciting race.

Ethiopia are the third-best nation all-time having won a total of 27 gold medals, 10 silver and 13 bronze in their appearances at these championships while Kenya lie 12th with a record of eight individual gold medals, 14 silver and 15 bronze.

Kenya’s gold medallists are Paul Ereng in the 800 metres (1989, 1991), Paul Korir (1,500m, 2004), Bernard Lagat (3,000m, 2004), Wilfred Bungei (800m, 2006), Pamela Jelimo (800m, 2012), Hellen Obiri (3,000m, 2012) and Caleb Mwangangi Ndiku (3,000m, 2014).

At the last championships in 2018 in Birmingham, England, Kenya panned just one medal - a bronze from Bethwell Birgen in the 3,000m - a tally head coach and former world outdoor 800m champion Janeth Jepkosgei will be out to improve on this weekend.

The competition here will run over three days with morning sessions starting from about 11.20am (Kenyan time) to 3pm and evening sessions holding from 6.25pm to about 10pm daily.

Kenya’s Friday programme (Kenyan time)

2.20pm: Women’s 1,500m heats (Edinah Jebitok)

2:50pm: Men’s 800m heats (Collins Kipruto, Noah Kibet)

3.25pm: Men’s 3,000m heats (Jacob Krop, Daniel Simiu)

10.25pm: Women’s 3,000m final (Edinah Jebitok, Beatrice Chebet)

Kenyan squad in Belgrade:

Men:

Ferdinand Omanyala (60m), Collins Kipruto (800 metres), Noah Kibet (800m), Abel Kipsang (1,500m), Jacob Krop (3,000m), Daniel Simiu (3,000m);

Women:

Naomi Korir (800), Eglay Nalianya (800), Edinah Jebitok (1,500m, 3,000m) and Beatrice Chebet (3,000m).

Officials:

Barnaba Kitilit (team leader), Hassan Ahmed (technical leader), Janeth Jepkosgei (team coach), Francis Philomena (doctor), Lydia Muraya and Irene Wamui.