Kenyans sniff early gold as World U20 Championships begin

Loise Morara

Kenyan sprinter Loise Morara during a training session at Kasarani on the eve of the World Under-20 Athletics Championship on August 17, 2021.

Photo credit: Sila Kiplagat | Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

  • The race will feature for the first time at the world junior competition, with World Athletics having replaced the 10,000m with the shorter version race.
  • Kenya’s 2019 World 10,000m bronze medallist Rhonex Kipruto won the men's 10,000m at the last event held in Tampere, Finland in 2018.

Youngsters Bernard Yegon and Daniel Kinyanjui will bank on their good preparations and their coach, Willy Langat’s advice to secure Kenya’s first medals in the men’s 3,000m race as the World Athletics Under-20 Championships get underway Wednesday at Kasarani.

And the duo has declared war on their Ethiopian rivals, saying that they will not be cowed by their rivals' better personal best times from the Diamond League and other races.

Yegon and Kinyanjui called on Kenyans to pray for them as they target a possible 1-2 sweep in the race that will be the last event of the day at 5.45pm.

The race will feature for the first time at the world junior competition, with World Athletics having replaced the 10,000m with the 3,000m.

Kenya’s 2019 World 10,000m bronze medallist Rhonex Kipruto won the men's 10,000m at the last event held in Tampere, Finland in 2018.

Perhaps the main threat from Ethiopia is 19-year-old Tadese Worku, who won silver in the men's under-20 race at the 2019 World Cross Country Championships. The youngster is slowly warming up to senior ranks having lowered his 3,000m Personal Best (PB) to 7:34.74 in Szekesfehervar, Hungary in July.

Tadese will partner with Ali Abdulmena, who ran PB of 7:50.06 at International de la Province de Liège in Belgium in June.

However, Moroccan Yassine Laarj, who has 8:02.83 from this year, Slovenia’s Vid Botolin (8:04.23) and the Ugandan duo of Dismas Yeko and Dan Kibet, who have both run 8:06 this year, are potential spoilers.

The Kenyan duo of Benard Kibet Yegon (7:55.01), and Daniel Kinyanjui (7:55.96), should also mount a strong challenge.

“We fear nobody here. Let their personal best not intimidate us,” said a confident Kinyanjui. “We have done our best in training and let Kenyans pray for us.”

Kinyanjui said teamwork will be key to their 1-2 ambitions.

“Our coaches have done their bit and it all looks good as we aim to help each other during the race,” said Kinyanjui.

“Kinyanjui has been my training mate and good high-altitude training in Keringet has been vital,” said Yegon, who won the Kenyan trials in 7:55.01.

“Our coach (Willy Langat) has advised on how to approach the race and while it won't be easy, good training will make it easy for us.”

Victories for Yegon and Kinyanjui should launch Kenya’s quest for the overall title defence in earnest.

Kenya has topped the medal standings in four out of the past 17 editions of the world junior competition- 2000 Santiago, Chile; 2006 Beijing, China; 2010 Moncton, Canada and 2018 Tampere, Finland.

Kenya won 11 medals from Tampere; six gold, four silver and a bronze. The host, who will be represented by 46 athletes, has only one surviving member from the Tampere event, Zenah Jemutai, who competed in women’s 3,000m, finishing fifth.

Jemutai, who finished second during the trials, hopes to deliver victory in 3,000m as she prepares to partner with Japan-based Teresia Muthoni of Central, the winner of the trials.

“The juniors are ready to perform and all is well with no major serious injuries. We pray that they all wake up well for their respective events,” said head coach Robert Ngisirei.

Jemutai and Muthoni both ran under nine minutes, making them favourites ahead of the battle.

Muthoni was the quickest with the 8:51.69 posted at the Kenyan trials in early July, with Jemutai clocking 8:55.75.

Their biggest challenge will likely come from Uganda, who are represented here by Prisca Chesang, winner of the Ugandan trials in 9:04.15 in May and represented her country in the 5,000m race at the Tokyo Olympics.

Kenya is yet to win the 3,000m title since Mercy Chebwogen’s exploits in 2012 Barcelona, Spain.

The men’s 5,000m will be another supremacy battle between Kenya and Ethiopia with Levi Kibet (13:26.11) and Benson Kiplangat (13:40.41) out to defend Edward Zakayo and Stanley Waithaka’s 1-2 feat from Tampere.

Ethiopia’s Addisu Yihune goes into the race with the fastest time, having narrowly missed the Olympic qualification when finishing a close fourth at the Ethiopian trials in Hengelo in June, clocking 12:58.99. He will partner with Mebrahtu Werkineh (13:41.92).

Eritrea’s Habtom Keleta (13:23.15) is the second-fastest in the field.

Who will be Beatrice Chebet’s heir in the women's 5,000m? 

Maurine Cherotich and Zena Jeptoo have the onus of defending the title that Chebet won in Tampere, having ended Ethiopia’s dominance in the five previous editions.

Cherotich, who won the Kenyan trials in 15:44.0 followed by Jeptoo in 15:46.2, face a strong Ethiopian challenge of Mizan Alem and Medina Eisa.

Alem clocked a world U20 lead of 14:46.20 to finish eighth at the Ethiopian Olympic Trials in Hengelo in June, while Eisa wasn’t far behind that day, finishing 10th in 14:59.53.

Ugandan Chesang will double up, having run 15:05.39 this year. The European challenge is led by Spain’s Carla Dominguez and Poland’s Oliwia Wawrzyniak.

Kenya had won 15 consecutive editions in the men’s 3,000m steeplechase before they lost their dominance to Ethiopia during the 2018 Tampere, where Takele Nigate beat Kenya’s Leonard Bett to victory.

Kenya had only lost during the inaugural 1986 Athens events.  Whether Simon Kiprop and Amos Serem will restore Kenya’s honour is left to be known, with Bikila Tadese Takele and Samuel Firewu out to uphold Nigate’s exploits.

Uganda’s Leonard Chemutai is also one to watch with Italy’s Cesare Caiani and France’s Baptiste Cartieaux leading the European challenge.

Kenyan duo of Jackline Chepkoech and Faith Cherotich hope to fill in the huge shoes left by Celliphine Chespol, who dominated to win in 2016 and 2018.

But the Kenyans should be on the lookout for the ever-growing Ethiopian challenge, and this time around from Zerfe Wondemagegn and Emebet Kebede. Morocco’s Soukaina Elhaji also adds to the rich mix.