The 2022 world 10,000 metres silver medallist, Stanley Waithaka, and 2021 world under-20 3,000m champion, Teresia Gateri, are the new faces in the Kenyan team that will compete in the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
The first batch of the team left yesterday for Tokyo. Waithaka and Gateri, who are the latest inclusion to the team, are reserves in men’s 10,000m and women’s 1,500m respectively.
Their inclusion to the squad is meant to cushion the team against challenges in processing travel documents.
The two were in a group of 50 Kenyan athletes who left last evening for Tokyo in in three batches. The 2025 World Athletics Championships get underway on Saturday, Setember 13, and will run for nine days in Tokyo.
The final batch of 10 athletes will leave Tuesday, September 9, for Tokyo, where the world championships will be held for the second time. Tokyo hosted the third edition of the games in 1991. Another Japanese city, Osaka hosted the 2007 edition.
Kenya finished fourth in the medal standings at the 1991 edition with eight medals; four gold, three silver and one bronze medal. Among the Kenyan medalists in that edition of the games were Billy Konchellah (800m), Yobes Ondieki (5,000m), Moses Tanui (10,000m) and Moses Kiptanui (3,000m steeplechase).
Team Kenya will be aiming to better their 2023 outing in Budapest where the country secured 10 medals; three gold, three silver and four bronze.
Team manager, Kennedy Tanui, yesterday said that Waithaka, the 2018 world under-20 5,000m silver medalist, will provide cover for United States of America-based Edwin Kurgat, while Gateri provides cover for Dorcas Ewoi, who is also based in the USA. Both athletes are facing challenges acquiring travel visas to Japan from USA.
“We didn’t want to take chances with some of these challenges coming late. Ewoi and Kurgat were facing challenges in getting visas. That is why we picked on the two athletes, who are based in Japan, to be safe,” said Tanui.
Tanui noted that Gateri and Waithaka have good track records, and have met Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) doping requirements.
Waithaka, 25, could make his second appearance at the world championships, having claimed silver in 10,000m at the 2022 world championships in Oregon, USA while Gateri, 23, might make her debut in the championship. A nagging groin injury ended Waithaka’s hopes of making it to the 2023 world championships in Budapest, and at last year’s Paris Olympic Games.
The men’s team also has the world cross country under-20 champion Ishmael Kipkurui and the 2021 world under-20 5,000m champion, Benson Kiplangat, who is also the world cross country bronze medallist.
“I am fit as a fiddle. I am used to the Japanese weather, having been here since 2018,” said Waithaka.
Gateri had hinted on shifting to 1,500m from the 3,000m and 5,000m races during the second leg of the Athletics Kenya Track and Field Meeting in Thika in February this year where she won the metric mile race.
Gateri, who finished fifth in 1,500m race, and seventh in 5,000m at the Africa Championships last year, finished fifth during the national trials for the world championships on July 22 this year.
“I focused on the 1,500m since I feel I have the strength for the event and not the 5,000m that was my previous target. I don’t have the endurance for the distance races,” said Gateri.
The teams that will leave tomorrow are the men and women’s 5,000m and 800m save for the reigning world 800m champion Mary Moraa, who left last evening as she will take the blocks in 4x400m mixed relays.
The team left in three batches yesterday aboard Qatar Airways via Doha, Emirate Airlines via Dubai and KLM Airlines through Amsterdam. Amongst those going through Amsterdam were the 2015 world javelin champion Julius Yego and Commonwealth games 100m champion Ferdinand Omanyala.
“Things are looking good and up and expect surprises,” said middle and distance races coach Gedion Chirchir. “We have had productive training and what stood out is the athletes’ discipline and hard work.”
