Mixed luck for Kenya in World Indoor as Cuban takes first gold

In Belgrade

It was mixed luck for Kenya in the opening session of the World Indoor Athletics Championships at the Štark Arena in downtown Belgrade with all but one of the team navigating the qualifying rounds of the 800 and 3,000 metres races.

Kenya’s best bet for a medal in the 800m, Collins Kipruto, ranked 15th in the world coming into Belgrade, failed to qualify from the heats after he lost his balance and clipped the railings, losing his momentum.

And with just the first two in each of the four heats making it to Saturday night’s final, 27-year-old only managed fourth place in one minute, 48.18 seconds after leading at the halfway mark (53:70) before USA’s strong-looking Isaiah Harris took over at 500 metres to take the heat in 1:47.00.

But Noah Kibet, 10 years Kipruto’s junior, looked strong as he ran a tactical opening heat to win in 1:43.31 after allowing Belgium’s Aurele Vandeputte and Briton Guy Learmonth to do most of the work, front-running.

Kenya almost lost a second athlete in the 3,000m when Jacob Krop took a heavy fall in the opening heat, bruising his knee in the process.

But he recovered brilliantly to finish second in 7:46.43 behind Ethiopia’s front-running Lamecha Girma (7:46.21).

Krop’s compatriot Daniel Simiu Ebenyo had little difficulty in Heat Three, taking the second automatic qualifying slot in 7:54.97 behind Great Britain’s Marc Scott (7:54.90).

The day’s biggest upset was the failure to qualify by Ethiopia’s season leader Berihu Aregawi whose decision to attack from the rear in Simiu’s heat came a cropper after he wound up sixth, failing to gain ground on the leaders.

On January 28 this year, Aregawi ran the fifth fastest 3,000m time ever - 7:26.20 – at the Messehalle in Karlsruhe, Germany.

Earlier, Kenya had withdrawn Edinah Jebitok’s bid for a 1,500m/3,000m double, leaving her with just the 3,000m final later Friday night to deal with.

Meanwhile, despite falling by the wayside, Kipruto remained positive, saying he didn’t want to injure himself after stumbling on the railings “as there’s a long season ahead” with the World Championships outdoors coming up in July in Eugene, Oregon (USA).

“I did not expect the race would finish like this for me. I feel upset. I stumbled in the last 300 metres and lost my rhythm. I stepped on the rail, fortunately did not injure myself but I feel slight pain,” he said.

“This could have been the milestone of my career but we cannot do anything about it now. It is bad for me and I feel disappointed now. I came here mentally strong and motivated, was looking forward. Now, I do not know.

“It is a pity I disappointed my fans but I promise I will do my best next time. This is not the end of everything.”

Kibet, a World Junior Championships bronze medallist, and now the lone ranger in the final here on Saturday (9.10pm Kenyan time), remained upbeat, saying he is fitting well into the senior ranks.

“I’m well prepared for this championships and I was sure I would win my first race easily,” the youngster reckoned.

“The main goal for me was to reach the final, where I'll try to do my best and get an indoor PB. I trained hard and physically I'm ready to go under 1:46.0."

“I know I'm still young and I have to perform at champs like that as often as possible to become more experienced and to feel more comfortable and confident among senior athletes.”

Krop walked through the media mixed zone with a bruised knee, the fall early in the 3,000m certainly having inconvenienced him a bit.

“I don't understand what happened when I fell,” he said.

“There is a place where you can meet together when the race gets going but we just got too close. It was an accident, I think.

“It was only the first lap so I had plenty of energy left. I was able to get up quickly and start to recover. I was scared at first, but relieved at the end because I didn't use up too much power qualifying. I'll be ready for the final.”

Simiu was upbeat and relieved that two Kenyans will fight the two Ethiopians – pre-championship favourite Selemon Barega (winner in Heat Two – 7:51.42) and Girma – in the final.

“My aim was to simply qualify and make the final,” Simiu said.

“I’d like to tell my fans and Kenyans in general to pray for us because it won’t be easy with two Ethiopians in the final.”

But he was quick to add that he and Krop will unleash some fresh ammunition to get them onto the podium.

“We will work on tactics that will ensure we surprise the Ethiopians.”

That’s something that might worry the decorated Barega, the Olympic 10,000m champion.

At just 22, Barega already boasts two world titles in under-18 and under-20 global championships in the 3,000m and 5,000m, the former coming at the 2017 World Under-18 Championships in Nairobi.

In his heat here, he let the field do the hard work before attacking in the final stages, conserving some energy for the final.

“I have been feeling relaxed to save more power for the final,” he confirmed.

“I was comfortable, hardly pushing and speeding up on the last two laps. The whole race was under my control. I could play with speed."

“The final isn't going to be the same. I expect it'll be a tactical race but my main rivals will be much stronger than in the heat. Maybe we have to think about a team 'tactic game' to reach the top of the podium.”

Elsewhere in the field events, Cuba’s Lazaro Martinez won the championships’ first gold medal in the triple jump, clearing a world-lead 17.64 metres in his opening jump to beat Cuba’s experienced Pedro Pichardo (17.42) and USA’s Donald Scott (17.21m) to the minor medals.

“Right now, I am very happy for this competition because 17.64 is a great jump. And it is also my first major indoor medal,” the man from Havana celebrated."

“I trained for this result every day very hard and I am glad I managed to sell my shape. I knew I was going to face very strong opponents like Pichardo, but I was ready - at least mentally.”

His focus will now shift outdoors to the World Championships in Eugene in July.
“I am looking forward to the world championships in summer. In Eugene, my plan is to jump 18 metres,” he confirmed.

“I prepare at home for that competition and there will be very strong opponents. I am the world indoor champion now so I have to confirm it there.”