Chepng’etich, Obiri chart new paths
Hellen Obiri (left) and Faith Chepng’etich pose for photos at the Ole Sereni Hotel, Nairobi upon their arrival from the Tokyo Olympic Games on August 9, 2021.
What you need to know:
- The four, who were accompanied by coaches Bernard Ouma and Francis Kamau, received a warm welcome at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on arrival from the Ministry of Sports led by Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed, as well as officials from Athletics Kenya.
- Meanwhile, newly-crowned 800m Olympic king Emmanuel Korir and silver medal winner Ferguson Rotich also arrived back home early on August 9 from Tokyo where Kenya finished 19th overall with 10 medals.
Double Olympics women’s 1,500 metres champion, Faith Chepng’etich and Olympics 5,000m silver medallist Hellen Obiri have revealed that they will take up new races next year.
Chepngétich, who retained the Olympics 1,500m title in Tokyo last week, Monday said she will graduate to the women’s 5,000m race next year.
Reigning 5,000m world champion Obiri, who is also two-time Olympics silver medallist over the distance, will scale up to road running next year.
The two were speaking Monday evening in Nairobi after arriving back from the Tokyo Olympic Games, where Chepng’etich succeeded in retaining her 1,500m title, and Obiri claimed a silver medal in the 5,000m.
Tokyo Olympics 1,500m women;s gold medalist Faith Chepng’etich is received by Athletics Kenya president Jack Tuwei (right) at the Ole Sereni Hotel on August 9, 2021.
Chepng’etich beat stiff opposition from her main rival Dutch Sifan Hassan, who eventually settled for bronze medal after Great Britain’s Laura Muir bagged silver.
The 27-year-old Chepng’etich completed the four-lap race in three minutes, 53.11 seconds, breaking the 33-year-old Olympic record set by Romanian Paul Ivan.
“My target remains in 1,500 metres this year, but I intend to start mixing the1,500m with the 5,000m from 2022. My focus now is to complete the 2021 Diamond League season and later on start preparing for the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon in the United States of America,” said Chepng’etich.
On her record-breaking exploits, Chepng’etich said, “I thank Sifan for my new record. I never expected it, but she pushed me hard in the race, thereby helping me to achieve it. I am happy I did it while defending my Olympics title.”
She said she will rest for a few days and then head to the US for the Eugene leg of the Diamond League slated for August 21.
Tokyo Olympics 5000m women silver medallist Hellen Obiri (right) poses for a photo with Ole Sereni Hotel Group Chief Executive Officer Ghulam Samdani on August 9, 2021 at Ole Sereni Hotel.
Obiri, 31, said she is going back to training.
“I will start competing in 10-kilometre and half marathon races and maybe in one or one-and-a-half years, move on to the marathon. It’s not easy to move to the marathon, but with discipline and focus, I believe that I will achieve my target,” said the two-time 5,000m world champion.
From left :Team Kenya athletes Edna Jebitok,Winny Chebet, Hellen Obiri and Faith Kipyegon at Ole Sereni Hotel on August 9, 2021.
The two stars returned home together with Winny Chebet and Edinah Jebitok, who were unlucky in the 1,500m race after they got bundled out in the semi-final stage.
The four, who were accompanied by coaches Bernard Ouma and Francis Kamau, received a warm welcome at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on arrival from the Ministry of Sports led by Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed, as well as officials from Athletics Kenya.
Meanwhile, newly-crowned 800m Olympic king Emmanuel Korir and silver medal winner Ferguson Rotich arrived back home earlier yesterday from Tokyo where Kenya finished 19th overall with 10 medals.
