Coach Bernard Ouma is concluding his doctorate studies in Sports Science at the Hungarian University of Sports Science in Budapest.
A very much laid-back, behind-the-scenes person, the well-schooled, articulate tactician has never really been celebrated as much as he really ought to have been. He’s one of Kenya’s many unsung heroes who detest camping around ministry and federation offices seeking relevance, and singing praises of the king’s beard for favours in return.
He’s pretty much self-made and has fought many odds to earn his coaching badges. For his PhD in Budapest, Ouma is majoring in Exercise and Environmental Physiology and on the side, he runs the Rongai Athletics Club, a steady production line of world-beating middle-distance athletes.
One of his proteges, Timothy Cheruiyot, will line up in the final of the 1,500 metres at the Stade de France at 8.50pm tonight (9.50pm Kenyan time) alongside compatriot, the young Africa champion Brian Komen.
A nagging knee injury prevented Cheruiyot, 28, from a fifth consecutive World Athletics Championships last year in his coach’s adopted home of Budapest.
In the Budapest final, Briton Josh Kerr produced one of the biggest upsets of the championships, kicking past pre-race Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway to be crowned world champion.
A Superintendent of Prisons, a promotion he earned after bagging silver behind Ingebrigtsen in Tokyo 2020, “Timo” watched the final from his South Rift farm in Bomet where he grows potatoes, maize, beans and small-scale tea.
Cheruiyot has since recovered and in the semi-finals on Sunday, the 2019 world champion dug in for fifth place and automatic qualification to tonight’s final in three minutes, 32.30 seconds.
Coach Ouma doesn’t want to be too excited. He is cautiously optimistic ahead of today’s final, knowing the challenge Kerr, Ingebrigtsen and Yared Nuguse, USA’s 3,000m national record holder of Ethiopian descent, all pose.
Kenya’s middle-distance athletes call Cheruiyot “uncle” owing to his experience and willingness to share tips and motivate them.
“It will be a decent, honest race and it will go down to aerobic capacity,” Ouma forecasts with the wisdom of his doctorate intelligence.
“Jakob won’t want to make it slow. He will make it fast to draw out and exhaust Josh’s and Timothy’s kicking power.
“Nuguse will also want it faster for the same reason, so you might see Jakob in front with Nuguse trying to push the pace.
“Timothy and Komen will follow, so you are likely to see Jakob, Josh, Timothy, Nuguse and Komen at the front,” the race unfolds in Doctor-to-be Ouma’s mind.
He is happy that Cheruiyot has recovered well and has been picking up shape at the right time. He hopes “Timo” will hit peak form today, when it matters most.
At the recent Monaco Diamond League meeting on July 12, Ingebrigtsen became just the fourth European athlete in history to break the 3:27 barrier, breaking away with 450 metres to go and winning in a new European record 3:26.73.
Cheruiyot (3:28.71) and Komen (3:28.80) followed, two seconds adrift.
Kerr wasn’t on the start list in the principality while Nuguse (3:29.13) finished fifth in what was a dress rehearsal for tonight’s final.
“No one is talking about Timothy, but he’s progressing every week. The way he ran in Monaco will be different from the way he will run here in Paris.
“I can’t say who will win the race, but the winner will be the person who has rested well mentally and physically.”
Komen has been battling a cold and said he was fortunate to run 3:32.57 to finish fourth in the first semi-final and earn qualification to tonight’s final.
The African Championships and African Games gold medallist announced his arrival last year by upsetting “uncle” Cheruiyot in winning the Doha Diamond League title before breaking the 3:30 barrier running 3:28.80 in Monaco last month.
The same can be said of the women’s 3,000m steeplechase final which will be run at 9.14pm, just after the men’s 1,500, final: It won’t be an easy, clear-cut one for Kenya!
World record holder Beatrice Chepkoech will team up with young Faith Cherotich, bronze medallist at last year’s Worlds in Budapest and 2023 World Athletics Rising Female Athlete of the Year.
But the red-hot favourite should be former Kenyan Winfred Yavi, the reigning world champion who is running in Bahraini colours and nurtured under the wings of one Gregory Kilonzo.
The 24-year-old fashionista and vlogger who runs an initiative supporting street children moved to Manama and took up Bahraini citizenship after failing to make Kenya’s team to the 2015 African Youth Championships.
Meanwhile, yesterday, Wiseman Were impressed in qualifying for the 400m hurdles at the Stade de France.
“The race was good and I didn’t make any mistakes…. I ran according to plan and with that one step and now it’s about pushing to get a slot in the final,” Were said after clocking 48.58 to finish fifth in a Heat Four won by Jamaica’s Roshawn Clarke in 48.17.
“It was just about planning of the race to make it to the next round…it’s about tactics and calculations. I’m ready going forward, get my mind set and go forward.”
Julius Yego will be the other Kenyan in action today from 10.20am (11.20am Kenyan time) in the opening round of the javelin, throwing from Group ‘A’ at the Stade de France.
Elsewhere, Ferdinand Omanyala remained distraught yesterday and failed to speak with journalists after failing to make Sunday night’s final of the 100m won by American Noah Lyles in 9.79 seconds, five hundredths of a second ahead of Jamaican silver medalist Kishane Thompson with another American Fred Kerley third in 9.81.
11.05am: Women’s 1,500m round 1 (Faith Kipyegon, Nelly Chepchirchir, Susan Ejore)
11.20am: Men’s Javelin Qualification (A), 12.50pm(B) (Julius Yego)
9.50pm: Men’s 1,500m final (Brian Komen, Timothy Cheruiyot)
10.10pm: Women’s 3,000m steeplechase final (Beatrice Chepkoech, Faith Cherotich)
