This archive report was first published on 21 August 2021.
At the ongoing World Athletics U20 Championships at Kasarani Stadium, Kenya's duo of Kamar Etiang and Vincent Keter are plotting a podium sweep in the men's 1500m finals.
On a rain-soaked track, Keter signaled his medal intention when he strode to a 3:42.35 victory in heat one, ahead of Ethiopia's Melkeneh Azize who finished second in 3:44.81, with Abderezak Suleiman of Eritrea placed third in 3:47.8.
With a point to prove, Etiang dictated the pace of his heat, crossing the line in 3:44.75 with Wegene Addisu (3:44.86) of Ethiopia in hot pursuit.
Both Keter and Etiang are looking to extend Kenya's dominance in the junior ranks and carve a niche of their own when they transition to senior competitions.
"It feels great to be in the final. In the heat, it was an easy win for both of us (Keter and Etiang). This is going to be a totally different race all together, but we are going deploy teamwork strategy to ensure we give Kenya 1-2 finish. Individually, I want to mark my final transition to senior ranks by winning gold medal," said Keter, the Africa U20 1500m champion.
Kenya's sole representative in the women's 400m final, Sylvia Chelangat, has also set her eyes on gold medal in today's final.
Chelangat was among the quartet in the mixed relay team that was disqualified from the mixed relay race for lane infringement, despite finishing in an automatic qualifying second place.
"I'm glad that I not only made it to the final, but I achieved a personal best of 53.49. Now my next target is the podium finish. The medal will really motivate me as I hope to step into 800m competition just like my idol and trainer Janeth Jepkosgei who started off by competing in 400m before moving to 800m," said Chelangat.
