Africa-Press – Kenya. Olympic bronze medalist Hyvin Kiyeng will be hoping to benefit from home advantage in her bid to turn tables on Olympic champion Peruth Chemutai of Uganda in the women’s 3000m steeplechase at Saturday’s Kip Keino Classic.
Kiyeng finished third in 9:05.39 at the Tokyo Olympics, behind Chemutai (9:01.45) and American Courtney Friedrich (9:04.79).
The Ugandan’s gold medal was the first by a female athlete in the country’s Olympic history and will be seeking another feather on her cap.
For Kiyeng, Tokyo was a disappointment after clinching silver at the previous edition in Rio in 2016.
On various occasions this year, she had set an Olympic gold as her bare minimum and must have been disappointed to see this dream evaporate as Chemutai crossed the finish line first.
Another Kenyan who will be hoping to exorcise the ghosts of Tokyo is 2014 Commonwealth champion Purity Kirui, who fell at the first time of asking in Heat 1 of the water-and-barrier race.
Kirui finished a disappointing fifth in 9:30.13 for an early exit from the championships, leaving world record holder Beatrice Chepkoech and Kiyeng to carry the Kenyan flag.
Also hoping to make a huge splash in the race is World Under 20 champion Jackline Chepkoech, whose win at Moi Stadium, Kasarani in August extended the country’s dominance in women’s steeplechase at the junior level.
The battle in the women’s division mirrors that of men where Kenyans will be seeking revenge on Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali. The Moroccan went down in history as the first man to break Kenya’s 53-year dominance in the men’s steeplechase when he clinched gold at the Tokyo Olympics.
However, he was quick to downplay the significance of competing on Kenyan soil, insisting he was simply looking forward to enjoying himself on his first visit to the country.
“This meeting is the perfect way to close out a busy year. I am simply looking forward to race here and enjoy myself as I compete with other runners. At Tokyo, it felt great to finally win a gold medal because I have been working so hard towards it with the help of my coach,” Bakkali said.
However, the Kenyan trio of World Under 20 champion Amos Serem, Olympic bronze medalist Benjamin Kigen and Leonard Bett will not take it easy on the Moroccan despite Bakkali describing the meet as a friendly competition for him.
“We have been preparing well for this race and we will work hard to not allow him beat us on home soil. Personally, it was heartbreaking to watch on TV as we lost our steeplechase title at the Olympics,” Serem said.
