WU20: Kenya out to defend 3000m steeplechase and 800m men's titles

Haron Kibet and Emmanuel Wafula have their work cut out when they line up for the men’s 3000m steeplechase final at the World Junior Championship that concludes on Saturday 6 August (rolling into Sunday in EAT) in Cali, Colombia. 

The duo is looking to defend the title that was won by Amos Serem in spectacular fashion in last year's championship, in front of an ignited home crowd. 

The two finished second in their respective heats to Ethiopian runners, Wafula clocking 8:49.57 in heat two while Kibet came home in 8:47.25 in a slightly faster heat three. 

As fate would have it, Kenya's biggest threat to the junior title is an athlete who shares nationality with the only non-Kenyan athlete to have held the Olympic and World titles at the same time in the senior ranks, the current holder Soufiane El Bakkali. 

WU20: Silver and bronze for Kiptarus, Kimosong in men's 3000m

El Bakkali's countryman Salaheddine Ben Yazide who won heat one in 8:50.70 tops the world U-20 list this year with the 8:19.63 he ran at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Rabat in June. 

He gained some top-level experience at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon, finishing 13th in the heats. 

The Kenyans will also be weary of Ethiopia’s Samuel Firewu who is second on the world U-20 lists via the 8:19.82 he ran in Ostrava back in May and he backed that up with a fifth-place finish at the African Championships. 

WU20: Heartbreak as defending 10,000m walk race champion, Wanyonyi is disqualified

He is joined by compatriot Samuel Duguna, who has a best of 8:27.40 this season. The two won heat two and three respectively. 

Kenyans are also anticipating gold in the men's 800m as Noah Kibet takes a lobe journey in not only defending the title that was won by Emmanuel Wanyonyi last year but also upgrading his bronze from last year to gold. 

Kibet was in action in the wee hours of Saturday morning (Friday evening in Cali) where he booked a place in the final with the fastest time at 1:46.37 in heat three. 

Ethiopia’s Ermias Girma and Eritrean Heithem Chenitef won the first and second heats in 1:47.96 and 1:48.55, a personal best, respectively. 

Kibet, a world indoor championship silver medalist has a season’s best of 1:44.89 achieved in Ostrava in May before reaching the 800m semifinals at the World Championships in Oregon.  

Girma also has had an impressive season as he clocked a hugely impressive 1:44.36 in Lokeren, Belgium, in May and lowered his 1500m best to 3:36.28 later that month. He was in Oregon too where he was knocked out in the 800m heats after finishing fourth in 1:49.36.

The other Kenyan representative Dominic Kiptoo finished fourth in heat two to miss out on the final.