Paris Olympics: Kenyan trio in line to halt 36 year wait for 5000m gold after easing to final

World bronze medalist Jacob Krop, debutant Edwin Kurgat, and national trials winner Ronald Kwemoi are through to the Paris Olympics men’s 5000m final after sneaking their way through Wednesday’s set of Round 1 heats at the Stade de France.

Krop, who is seeking to win his first Olympics medal after missing out on the Tokyo 2020 edition, successfully made his way through to the final in a more comfortable fashion.

The 23-year-old, who has amassed experience finishing in podium place in two successive World Championships, made it to the medal bracket with a fourth-place finish time of 14:08.73.

Kurgat, who started the race on a bright note, keeping tabs with the leading pack since the onset, could not withstand the final lap heat and came home fifth, closing at 14:08.76, but qualified for the final.

LIVE BLOG: Jacob Krop and Edwin Kurgat cruise to 5000m final

The Kenyan, running in a studded semifinal, showed good poise to remain within touching distance of the race leaders, eventually kicking strides in the homestretch behind favourites Narve Gilje Nordas, Ethiopian Hagos Gebrhiwet and John Heymans of Belgium.

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Kwemoi, on the other hand, was sixth in the second heat, clocking an impressive time of 13:52.51.

He fought his way to the final, beating a strong competition from pre-race favourite Jakob Ingebrigtsen.

With the top seven finishers from each heat going through, the trio will now be the ones to watch out for on Saturday as they chase the country’s first gold medal in the event in over 30 years.