Double Olympic and world 1,500 metres champion Faith Kipyegon and Diamond League winner Nicholas Kimeli are the only members of Team Kenya squad who will double up at the 2023 World Athletics Championships scheduled for August 19 to 27 in Budapest, Hungary.
Double world record holder Kipyegon and Kimeli are part of 57-member Team Kenya named yesterday for the global track and field championship.
From the Team Kenya contingent of 57, men’s 4x100m, men’s 4x400m and 4×400 mixed relay are yet to meet the qualification standard.
Africa champion Ferdinand Omanyala will lead men’s 4x100m team to a championship in Liege, Belgium on July 12, seeking to meet the qualification standard through the world ranking.
The mixed 4x400m mixed relay team will seek qualification in Leverkusen, Germany, on July 29, while men’s 4x400m is banking on their time during the national championships which puts them 14th globally. The top 16 will qualify for Budapest.
Kipyegon, who hopes to make a sixth appearance at the world championships over 1,500m next month, will for the first time compete in women’s 5,000m race, while Commonwealth Games 5,000m silver medallist Kimeli will field in both 5,000m and 10,000m races.
Athletics Kenya also named the injured world 800 metres champion, Emmanuel Korir, and Commonwealth Games 10,000m bronze medallist Kibiwott Kandie in the squad that has 32 men and 25 women. However, the men’s 4x100m team is yet to be named while four members of men’s 4x400m team are yet to meet the qualifying time.
Kipyegon, the 2017 and 2022 world 1,500m champion, won the 5,000m race on Friday but was exempted from the 1,500m final held on Saturday.
The 29-year-old 2016 Rio de Janeiro and 2020 Tokyo Olympics 1,500m champion will team up with the world 5,000m silver medallist Beatrice Chebet, 2019 world 5,000m silver medallist Margaret Chelimo, and African Games 5,000m champion Lilian Kasait in the 5,000m race in Budapest.
Chebet, who is also the Commonwealth Games 5,000m champion, was exempted from competing in the 5,000m trials but finished sixth in women’s 1,500m final race won by Nelly Chepchirchir, a fourth place finisher in 800m at the 2022 World Athletics Under-20 Championships held in Cali, Colombia last year.
Besides Kipyegon and 20-year-old Chepchirchir, Kenya’s team for the metric mile race also has World Athletics Cross Country Championships mixed relay gold medallist Brenda Chebet, who is also the world under-20 1,500m silver medallist, and the 2017 world under-18 1,500m bronze medallist Edinah Jebitok.
Kipyegon already had a wildcard to Budapest in 1,500m by virtue of being the defending champion, while Chebet had two wild cards for the global championships by virtue of having won the 2023 World Athletics Cross Country Championships on February 18 in Bathurst, Australia, and also for having triumphed in 5,000m in the final of last season’s Diamond League.
Kipyegon is chasing a hat-trick of titles in 1,500m. She claimed silver at the 2015 (Beijing) and 2019 (Doha) editions of the World Athletics Championships, having finished fifth on her debut over the distance at the 2013 Moscow event.
Kipyegon and world 5,000m silver medallist Chebet will be out to recapture the title Kenya lost to Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay in Oregon, United States of America, last year.
“It’s all about good preparations, focus and team work especially in the 5,000m,” said Kipyegon.
“We have strong teams in both 1,500m and 5,000m, which is a sumptuous blend of youth and experience.”
Kenya has the advantage of fielding four athletes in women’s 5,000m and 1,500m, respectively.
The delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and 2022 world 800m champion Korir had a swollen leg on the countdown to the trials. He has two wild cards for the global championships, first by virtue of being the defending champion, and secondly as winner of last season’s Diamond League Trophy.
It means Kenya will have four athletes in the two-lap race — Olympic and world champion Korir, World under-20 800 metres champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi, national 800m champion Alex Ng’eno, and Olympic 800m silver medallist Ferguson Rotich.
It was a mad dash to the line in the 800m final as Wanyonyi prevailed in 1:44.09, followed by Ng’eno (1:44.21) and Rotich (1:44.71). Even though Rotich has a good world ranking, he had to compete in the national trials to qualify to avoid the disappointment of dropping down the pecking order in the world ranking.
Athletics Kenya executive committee member Barnaba Korir said the team will be hosted for a night in Nairobi after the trials for documentation before moving to residential training at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, midweek.
“We are aware that some of these athletes have Diamond League races, which is good since some haven’t met the qualifying standards,” said Korir, adding that all have fulfilled the World Athletics anti-doping requirements.
Team Kenya
Men
100m: Ferdinand Omanyala,400m: Boniface Mweresa; 800m: Emmanuel Korir, Emmanuel Wanyonyi, Alex Ng’eno, Ferguson Rotich; 1,500m: Timothy Cheruiyot, Abel Kipsang, Reynold Kipkorir; 5,000m: Nicholas Kimeli, Jacob Krop, Daniel Simiu, Cornelius Kemboi;
10,000m: Nicholas Kimeli, Bernard Kibet, Kibiwott Kandie; 3,000m steeplechase: Simon Koech, Abraham Kibiwott, Leonard Bett
20km race walk: Samuel Gathimba; 4x100m (four athletes -to qualify); 4x400m (Wycliffe Kinyamal, Kennedy Kimeu, Zablon Ekwam, Kelvin Sawe Tauta – To qualify)
Marathon: Titus Kipruto, Timothy Kiplagat, Joshua Belet. Bethwell Kipchumba(reserve), Michael Githae (reserve);Javelin: Julius Yego
Women:
800m: Mary Moraa, Peninah Mutisya, Vivian Kiprotich, Naomi Korir; 1,500m: Faith Kipyegon, Nelly Chepchirchir, Edinah Jebitok; 5,000m: Faith Kipyegon, Beatrice Chebet, Lilian Kasait, Margaret Chelimo; 10,000m: Irene Kamais, Agnes Jebet, Grace Loibach; 20km race walk: Emily Ngii (area champions subject to approval); 4x400m mixed relay ( Mercy Okech, Maureen Thomas, Millicent Ndoro – To qualify); Marathon: Rosemary Wanjiru, Selly Kaptich, Shyline Jepkorir. Betty Chepkwony (reserve), Margaret Wangari (reserve)
Team Management
Team Manager: David Bunei
Assistant Team Manager: Abdulahi Salat
Chaperone: Mary Chege
Head of Technical: Ibrahim Hussein
Administration: Charlotte Kurgoy
Head coach: Julius Kirwa
Assistant Head coach: David Letting
100m/400m/400m hurdles-coaches: Josphat Maiyo, Pascaline Jelegat, Duncan Ayiemba
Middle distance coaches: Bernard Ouma, Jebet Lagat, Alex Sang
Long distances coaches: William Chebii, Esther Maina, james Mutisya, Jacob Lagat
Marathon coaches: Abraham Kiplimo, Isaac Kirwa, Amos Korir
Javelin coaches: Everline Jerotich, Gabriel Otwane
Physiotherapists: Jessica Shiraku, Japheth Kariakim, John Mayaka
Quality Assurance: Benjamin Njoga (head), Patrick Sang, Milcah Chemos, David Rudisha
