Kenyans will be treated to interesting moments in women’s 3,000m steeplechase race at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, as athletes born and raised in Kenya turn up - and possibly win medals - for other countries.
Top in the list is Kenyan-born Bahraini Winfred Yavi, who is the reigning world champion in the water and barriers race.
Yavi currently has the fourth fastest time in the distance, having clocked nine minutes, 3.68 seconds at the Paris Diamond League on July 7, where she also won.
Bahrain’s Winfred Yavi crosses the finish line to win the women's 1,500m final athletics event during the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou in China's eastern Zhejiang province on October 1, 2023.
Photo credit: File | AFP
Also on the start list are Kenyan-born Kazakhstan siblings Daisy Jepkemei and Norah Jeruto, who are eyeing the title.
Jeruto is also the 2022 world champion after she managed to beat Ethiopians Werkuha Getachew and Mekides Abebe in the 2022 World Athletics Championships held in Oregon.
Amidst the threat from Kenyan-born athletes whose loyalties lie elsewhere, world record holder Beatrice Chepkoech of Kenya will lead her compatriots, former World Under-20 champion Jackline Chepkoech and current World Under-20 champion Faith Cherotich, to battle as they seek to win Kenya’s first gold medal over the distance at the Olympic Games.
Since the race became part of the Olympics menu in 2008 at the Beijing Games, Kenya has won only four medals in the distance, but gold medal has been elusive.
Eunice Jepkorir claimed silver medal at the 2008 Games in Beijing, and Milcah Chemos settled for a bronze medal at the 2012 London Games.
At the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro, Hyvin Kiyeng claimed silver medal, and took home bronze at the 2020 Games in Tokyo, Japan.
Bahrain's Winfred Yavi and Kenya's Beatrice Chepkoech compete in the women's 3,000m steeplechase during the World Athletics Championships in Budapest on August 23, 2023.
Photo credit: File | AFP
Chemutai currently has the fastest time of 8:55.09 over the distance, followed by Beatrice who has season best time of 8:55.4.
Both athletes recorded these times at the 2020 Prefontaine Classic Diamond League in Oregon, USA in May.
So far, Kenya has won three gold medals in women’s 3,000m steeplechase at the World Athletics Championships through Milcah Chemos who triumphed at the 2013 edition in Moscow.
Kenya's Beatrice Chepkoech (right) congratulates Bahrain's Winfred Yavi after the women's 3,000m steeplechase final during the World Athletics Championships in Budapest on August 27, 2023.
Photo credit: File | AFP
Kiyeng added another gold medal for Kenya at the Beijing games in 2015, and Beatrice Chepkoech won the title at the 2019 championships in Doha.
Jackline, who is also the Commonwealth Games champion, is raring to go.
"The task ahead is tough, but I believe we have prepared well as Team Kenya. The most important thing for the three of us is to get into the finals so that team work can apply because competition will be stiff," she told Nation Sport on Monday.
"It’s competitive, but we have hope that we are going to do well. The most important thing is to make our country proud here because everybody is looking at usto produce results,” Jackline who is under the Global Sports Communications stable in Kaptagat, Elgeyo Marakwet County, said.
Chemos who is now an athletes’ representative at the Athletics Kenya revealed that Kenya has a strong team and what they need to do is to run as a team so that they can beat the strong field.
"Running the women’s 3,000m steeplechase event requires a lot of calculation, especially in the last few laps of the race. The biggest secret is to master the jump at the barrier," said Chemos.
