Kiyeng, Rotich warm up for Olympics with victories in Stockholm
Hyvin Kiyeng from Kenya competes in the 3000m steeplechase women final at the Diamond League track and field meeting in Stockholm on July 4, 2021.
What you need to know:
- Cheruiyot took command from 1,200m to push all the way to victory in 3:32.30, beating Ignacio Fontes, who stormed to a personal best 3:33.27 for second.
- Kenya’s Ronald Kwemoi clocked sa eason’s best 3:33.53 for third. Rotich finished second behind Michael Saruni at the Kenyan trials to make it to Tokyo Olympics.
Tokyo Olympics-bound Hyvin Kiyeng and Ferguson Rotich Sunday cracked emphatic victories at the Stockholm leg of the Diamond League.
After failing to secure a place at the Tokyo Summer Games, World 1,500m champion Timothy Cheruiyot bounced back with scintillating victory in his specialty.
Kiyeng, the 2016 Rio Olympics 3,000m steeplechase silver medallist, continued to work her way up with a Meet Record performance of nine minutes and 04.34 seconds in the women's race.
Kiyeng, the 2015 World 3,000m steeplechase champion, took over the lead from pacesetter Fancy Cherono to lead through 2,000m and edge out Felicitas Krause from Germany to second place in a season’s best 9:09.13.
The reigning World 3,000m steeplechase champion Beatrice Chepkoech, who is also the world record holder over the distance, settled third in a season’s best 9:10.52.
The 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games 3,000m steeplechase champion, Purity Kirui, chalked a personal best of 9:16.91 for fourth place.
Chepkoech and Kirui finished second and third during the Kenyan trials to join Kiyeng in the Olympics team.
“I feel good and to get through a race like this on the way to the Olympics is good,” said Kiyeng, adding that the race was quite fine.
“The body is not bad and I feel ok and maybe I will go to Monaco and then to Tokyo,” said Kiyeng, who reckoned that the Olympics will not be an easy affair and hence has a lot of work to do.
Monaco leg of the Diamond League is on July 9.
Rotich, the World 800m bronze medallist, stormed to a season’s best 1:43.84 to win the men’s 800m, beating Canadian Marco Arop, who returned a personal best of 1:44.00.
Cheruiyot took command from 1,200m to push all the way to victory in 3:32.30, beating Ignacio Fontes, who stormed to a personal best 3:33.27 for second.
Kenya’s Ronald Kwemoi clocked a season’s best 3:33.53 for third. Rotich finished second behind Michael Saruni at the Kenyan trials to make it to Tokyo Olympics.
