Kenya’s Mercy Chepkemoi is set to headline today’s action as she seeks redemption after narrowly missing out on a 5000m medal earlier this week. The Form Three student from Tiloa Secondary School in Nakuru will compete in the women’s 3000m semifinals, scheduled to start at 21:00 EAT.

Chepkemoi will be joined by fellow Kenyan Marion Jepngetich, who will participate in Heat Two. The top eight finishers from each heat will automatically qualify for the finals.

In the women’s 800m semifinals, African champion Sarah Moraa will be the sole Kenyan competitor in Heat Three, with her race set to begin at 23:58 EAT.

On the men’s side, Kelvin Kimutai Koech will lead the charge in Heat One of the 800m semifinals, while Phanuel Kipkosgei Koech will compete in Heat Three at 00:20 EAT.

Distance superpowers set to square off

There will be two middle-distance finals on the track – the women’s 3000m steeplechase and men’s 3000m – and it will be a massive shock if the titles head anywhere other than Kenya or Ethiopia. 

Ethiopia has claimed the last two men’s 3000m titles but Kenya won the five before that, and the Kenyan duo of Clinton Kimutai Ngetich and Denis Kipkoech should prove tough to beat here, with respective bests of 7:48.09 and 7:48.48. Ethiopia’s Ybeltal Gashahun and Abrha Gebru finished 1-2 at their national U20 trials and should put up a strong showing, while Norway’s Andreas Fjeld Halvorsen and Dutch athlete Juan Zijderlaan have both run 7:51. 

The women’s 3000m steeplechase title has been won by Kenya on nine of 10 occasions, the only exception being in 2014 when Kenyan-born Ruth Jebet won for Bahrain. But this should be the year when Ethiopia, a growing force in the event, finally gets its gold. 

ALSO READ:World Athletics U20 Championships: Kipkirui ,Nyaboke,Chemutai advance to 1500m Finals