by Larry Eder
Being one of the most successful nations in Athletics, the world will watch with interest as Kenya prepares to name their World Championships-bound team. As usual with the Kenyan trails, there will be surprises and some disappointments.
The question is: Will all the top Kenyan stars make the team? If not, who will suffer a major upset?
Yours truly is already in Nairobi, awaiting to cover the action for you.
The turnout of fans at the stadium will be as uncertain as the possibility of some big names making the team for the Tokyo World Championships, which will be held in Tokyo from 13 to 21 September.
The Ulinzi Sports Complex, the same venue that hosted an electrifying World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting two months ago (the KIp Keino Classic), will be free to enter. However, the event will be on a Tuesday, when most sports fans will be at their workplaces.
Among the runners who have already picked their bibs for the event are 17-year-old Edmund Serem, the 2024 world U20 champion over the 3000m steeplechase, and 21-year-old Faith Cherotich, the 2022 world U20 champion and now the reigning Olympic and World bronze medalist. Both runners currently train at the same camp in Kaptagat.
18-year-old Phanuel Koech, who just set a new world U20 record of 3:27.72 in the men’s 1500m, will be another star to watch. With only two automatic spots guaranteed to make the team, according to the selection criteria, there could be a major upset in this event from the other established runners.
Beatrice Chebet and Agnes Ngetich already secured their spots for the 5000m event at the trials in Eugene earlier this month, but they will be back again in the women’s 10,000m race to seek double tickets. If the two finish in the top two positions again, given that the 10,000m seems to be more of their favourite distance than the 5000m, it will be interesting to hear what the selectors will say at the end of the day.
Miramar, Florida, USA
May 2-4, 2025, photo by Kevin Morris
As the world catches up with Kenya in distance events, there has been a rapid interest in sprints among Kenyan runners lately. For the first time, three relay teams- the men’s 4x100m, the mixed relay and the men’s 4x400m have secured their spots for the Tokyo 25 championships.
Mercy Oketch, who was instrumental in the mixed 4x400m relay team securing the qualification, returned from Guanzhou and ran a new national record of 50.14 at the Kip Keino Classic Continental Tour Gold.
Three men, George Mutinda, Brian Tinega and Kelvin Kipkorir, also hit the world championships qualification time in the men’s 400m during last month’s Kenyan national championships. We could see more sprinters qualify for Tokyo.
