Cheruiyot leads Kenyans in qualifying for Olympics 1,500m semis
The 2019 world champion, Timothy Cheruiyot, led his fellow Kenyans Brian Komen and Reynold Cheruiyot in qualifying for the semi-finals of men’s 1,500 metres race at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on Friday.
African Games 1,500m champion Komen was the first Kenyan runner to qualify for the semi-finals after timing three minutes and 36.31 seconds to finish second in the first heat won by Briton Josh Kerr
in 3:35.83 as Norwegian Narve Gilje Nordas closed the top-three bracket after he clocked 3:36.41.
The top-three runners with the best times this year in the four-lap race are Norwegian Jakob Ingebritsen (3:26.73), Timothy Cheruiyot (3:26.71) and Komen (3:28.80).
The 2019 world champion Cheruiyot, who is a five-time Diamond League Final winner, qualified from Heat 2 after finishing fifth in 3:35.39 behind Ethiopian Ermias Girma (3:35.21), American Cole Hocker (3:35.27), Italian Pietro Arese (3:35.30) and Dutchman Niels Laros (3:35.38).
Cheruiyot,28, won silver at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Reigning World Athletics Under-20 Championships winner, 19-year-old Reynold Cheruiyot of Kenya, qualified for the semi-finals after coming fourth in 3:37.12, behind Dutchman Stefan Nillessen (3:36.77), American Hobbs Kessler (3:36.87) and reining Olympic champion Ingebritsen (3:37.04).
The semi-final races will take place on Sunday night.