Commonwealth Games champion Abraham Kibiwott and 2021 world under-20 bronze medallist Simon Koech and Leonard Bett qualified to the men’s 3,000m steeplechase final at the World Athletics Championships that got underway Saturday in Budapest, Hungary.
Koech finished third in the first heat in 8:20.29 as Ethiopian Getnet Wale won in 8:19.99 while Bett clocked 8:16.74 for third in the third heat won by 3,000m steeplechase world record holder Lamecha Girma from Ethiopia in 8:15.89.
Kibiwott clocked 8:24.31 for fourth place in the second heat to qualify alongside Olympic and world champion Soufiane El Bakkali from Morocco, who settled second in 8:23.66 behind America Kenneth Rooks, who won in 8:23.66.
After finishing fourth at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon, Africa champion Samuel Gathimba settled ninth in the men’s 20km race walk event that was delayed for almost two hours because of thunderstorms and lightning.
Gathimba clocked season’s best 1:18:34 in a race where Alvaro Martin of Spain won gold in a world-leading time of 1:17:32. Martin was just 11 seconds off Jefferson Perez’s championship record, which was also a world record at the time in 2003.
Sweden’s Perseus Karlström clinched the silver with a national record time of 1:17:39 as Brazil’s Caio Bonfim captured the bronze, in a national record time of 1:17:47.
Reigning champion, Toshikazu Yamanishi of Japan, was only 24th.
Kenya’s 4x400m mixed relay team failed to qualify for the final after the team of Zablon Ekwam, Milicent Ndoro, Wyclife Kinyamal and Mercy Oketch finished seventh in 3:15.47 in the first heat won by the USA in a world lead time of 3:10.41.
