Premium
Rising star Koech targets 1500m glory at Kip Keino Classic
Kenya's Phanuel Koech celebrates raising the national flag after winning the Boys Under-18 title during the World Schools Cross Country Championships at Ngong Race Course on May 12, 2024.
What you need to know:
- In the women’s 3,000m steeplechase final, Lemotit-based, Sharon Chepkemoi, clocked 9:57.27 to win the race, edging her training partner, Diana Chepkemoi (9:58.97). Anatasha Cheptoo came in third in 10:11.39.
- The event, which concludes on Friday, will pave the way for county championships, followed by regional events and discipline forces competitions. Top performers will then qualify for the National Championships, scheduled for June 26–28.
Newly crowned World Under-20 mile record holder Phanuel Koech is aiming for a stronger season as he prepares to compete in the 1,500m race at the upcoming Kip Keino Classic.
The Kip Keino Classic, a World Athletics Continental Tour event, will be held on May 31 at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi.
Koech, who recently shifted his training base from Iten to Kapsabet in Nandi County, is now training under coach Claudio Berardelli at the 2Running Athletics Club, alongside Olympic 800m champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi.
Speaking after winning his heat in the 800m race at the sixth Athletics Kenya/Betika Track and Field Championships at Ulinzi Sports Complex, Nairobi on Thursday, Koech said breaking the World Under-20 mile record at the Adidas Adizero event in Germany has motivated him to push even harder.
“I have been training in Kapsabet with Emmanuel Wanyonyi, and that inspired me to even run the record in Germany. Wanyonyi has been giving me tips on how to compete, and that’s why I want to test the waters at the Kip Keino Classic in the next two weeks,” said Koech.
At the Adizero Road to Records event last month in Germany, Koech finished fourth in the one-mile race in 3:56.08, behind Wanyonyi, who won with a national record of 3:52.45.
Koech, who placed fifth in the 800m at the 2024 World Under-20 Championships, is transitioning to the 1,500m and using 800m races for speed training.
He credits his early-season form to cross-country events, particularly the 2km races, which he says laid a strong foundation for the track season.
“The cross-country events I participated in really shaped my season. Right now, I’m doing build-up races as I target the qualification mark for the World Athletics Championships in September,” he said.
Wisemen Were competes in the 200m semifinals during the sixth Athletics Kenya/Betika Track and Field Championships at Ulinzi Sports Complex, Nairobi on May 15, 2025.
The two-day AK Track and Field Meet has attracted a large field of athletes keen to assess their progress ahead of the World Championships in Tokyo, Japan.
Fresh from the World Athletics Relays in China—where he did not compete—Wiseman Were won the men’s 200m semifinals in 20.54 seconds. Were said the sprint was part of his speed work as he prepares to qualify in his main event, the 400m hurdles.
He beat Dennis Mwai (20.70) and Clinton Aluvi (21.08) to the finish line.
In the women’s 3,000m steeplechase final, Lemotit-based, Sharon Chepkemoi, clocked 9:57.27 to win the race, edging her training partner, Diana Chepkemoi (9:58.97). Anatasha Cheptoo came in third in 10:11.39.
The event, which concludes on Friday, will pave the way for county championships, followed by regional events and discipline forces competitions. Top performers will then qualify for the National Championships, scheduled for June 26–28.