Kenya banks on youth and experience for 1,500m gold

Kenya is banking on youth and experience  to deliver the men’s 1,500 metres gold medal that has eluded the country at the Olympics for a decade.

Kenyan teams have struggled at the ongoing 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, and the country is looking forward to its first medal when athletics competitions start Friday.

In Tokyo, Kenya will be represented in the 1,500m race by  Olympics debutant Charles Simotwo, world champion Timothy Cheruiyot, and Abel Kipsang.

The 1,500m races will start with the heats on August 3, followed by the semi-finals on August 5 and the final on August 7.

The three face stiff competition from Ingebrigtsen brothers Filip and Jakob of Norway,  American Mathew Centrowitz who is the defending champion, among others.

Little-known Simotwo caused a major upset during the national trials at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani by beating a strong field that included world champion Cheruiyot.

On Thursday, Simotwo told Nation Sport that his performance surprised even himself.

“I wanted to be in the top three to make the team and I’m happy to have achieved that. My focus is now on representing my country at the Olympics for the first time. I have been training well and working on my finishing kick ahead of the games,” said Simotwo, who is under the One4One Sports Marketing and Management stable.

Victory at the trials came as a relief to Simotwo, who had been battling a knee injury he sustained in 2014 while still a student at Kimuron High School in Elgeyo Marakwet County.

“I underwent a successful surgery in 2019 at St Luke's Hospital last season, and I was up and running again. At the Olympic Games, the strategy will be to qualify for the final and to take things forward from there,” Simotwo, who has a personal best of 3min, 32.59sec, said.

The 26-year-old athlete, who is also a Kenya Defence Forces officer, comes from Barwesa area in Baringo County. He draws inspiration from star athletes from the region like former Boston and Chicago Marathon champion Lawrence Cherono.

“Cherono used to come to our school to encourage us to work hard in academics and to also be active in athletics. That’s how I developed interest in running,” Simotwo, who is popularly known as  ‘Sim Two’ among his training mates in Iten, said.

On Thursday, the three left for Tokyo together with the 5,000m team of Daniel Simiu, Nicholas Kimeli and Samwel Masai.