Lights, camera, action! Kip Keino Classic finally here with 30 nations represented
Elite athletes pose for photographs at the Nairobi National Park on October 2, 2020 during the pre-race press conference on the eve of the Kip keino Classic to be held at the Nyayo National Stadium. They are (from left to right): Kenya’s Leonard Bett (steeplechase), Collins Omae (200 metres), Mercy Cherono (5,000 metres), Great Britains Kristal Awuah (200 metres) and Denmark’s Tazana Kamanga (200 metres).
What you need to know:
- Top athletes predict fast times on refurbished Nyayo National Stadium track as action starts Saturday
An iconic venue and a legend fused together. What a moment to be alive to witness history being made on Saturday at the Nyayo National Stadium.
It will perhaps be the most humbling and emotional moment for legendary athlete Kipchoge Keino to witness the inaugural World Athletics Continental Gold Tour event named in his honour taking place.
Finally, the Kip Keino Classic that was due to take place on May 2 this year, goes down Saturday at the newly refurbished 30,000-seater Nyayo National Stadium.
Quite symbolic will be the meeting that three of Keino's favourite races that made him great to also help start and cement the country’s prowess in the world of athletics, will be on card.
The men's 1,500m, 3,000m steeplechase and 5,000m race will right be on the sumptuous menu. The Kip Keino Classic will be the first major athletics championships on the continent since the advent of Covid-19 pandemic goes without saying that it’s a great honour for the country.
The 80-year-old Keino won gold in 1,500m at the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games before settling for silver in 5,000m at the same games.
At the 1972 Munich Summer Games, Keino would settle for gold in 3,000m steeplechase and silver in 1,500m.
A total of 150 athletes drawn from 30 countries across all the continent will battle it out in the one-day championships that will mark the end of the World Athletics track and field season.
Kip Keino Classic in the last of the seven “Gold Label” Tour events, having been reduced by three events owing to Covid-19 pandemic. The Ministry of health has been kind enough to allow up to 6,000 fans to witness action, so far being the highest turnout in world athletics this year since the advent of Covid-19 in March this year.
World 1,500m champion Timothy Cheruiyot will be favourite in men’s rich 1,500m field with youngster, World Under-20 Championships gold medallist Leonard Bett marshalling the charge in 3,000m steeplechase with the absence of Olympic and World champion Consenslus Kipruto and his arch-rival Soufiane El Bakkali from Morocco.
The men’s 5,000m will be a stellar-cast field with Kenyans Jacob Krop and Nicholas Kimeli, who finished sixth and eighth in 5,000m in Doha taking charge.
Cheruiyot has had arguably a good season, winning both of his Diamond League 1,500m outings in Monaco and Stockholm. He’s the world leader at 3:28.45 from Monaco.
Cheruiyot will take on seasoned athlete Silas Kiplagat, who won silver in 1,500m at the 2011 World Championships.
The field also has 2016 World Under-20 Championships 1,500m champion Kumari Taki and 2017 World Indoor Tour 1,500m winner Bethwell Birgen.
Paul Robinson, Sean Tobin from Ireland and Hiss Bachir and Daher Awaleh complete the foreign entries.
Continental Cup 1,500m champion Winny Chebet has a battle at hand in women’s 1,500m with 2013 World 5,000m silver medallist Mercy Cherono in the mix.
"I want to use the 1,500m race for speed since my focus is 5,000m for next year’s Tokyo Olympic Games,” said Cherono.
Bett will battle Abraham Seme from Ethiopia, Uganda’s Abel Sikowo and Hilal Yego of Turkey in men’s 3,000m steeplechase that also has the 2016 World Under-20 champion Amos Kirui, who is also the 2019 national cross country champion.
Personal best time
“I fell short of improving my personal best (8:08.61) when I finished second in 8:08.78 in Monaco on August 14 this year but I am really motivated to down those micro seconds,” said Bett.
Kimeli, who is fresh from winning the men’s 10,000m at the Gouden Spike meeting in Leiden Norway, clocking a world leading and personal best time of 26:58.97, poses a great threat in men’s 5,000m.
The Kenyans face Ethiopians, youngster Berihu Aregawi, who is the World Under-20 10,000m bronze medallist and Worku Tadese.
World 5,000m champion Hellen Obiri, who won her Diamond League races in Monaco and Doha is favourite in women’s 5,000m.
She will face world 5,000m silver medallist Margaret Chelimo, world cross country under-20 champion Beatrice Chebet, world 10,000m bronze medallist Agnes Tirop and Ethiopian youngster Abersh Minsewo.
The women’s 3,000m steeplechase race has World champion and world record holder Beatrice Chepkoech and 2016 Rio Olympics silver medallist Hyvin Kiyeng.
Cote d’Ivoire’s Arthur Cisse tops the 200m entries going by his recent form from Doha last weekend where he set an Ivorian record of 20.23.
