This archive report was first published on 5 September 2021.
On a chilly Friday evening in Brussels, Kenyan athletes gathered at the Diamond League meet, hoping to make a statement after their Tokyo Olympics debut. However, the evening turned out to be a mixed bag for the Kenyan contingent.
One of the highlights of the evening was Olympic silver medallist Ferguson Rotich, who produced a stunning win in the men's 800m, clocking 1:43.81 to beat Belgium's Eliott Crestan, who timed 1:45.24.
However, it was not all good news for the Kenyan athletes. Ferdinand Omanyala, who set the 10.00 seconds national record at the Tokyo Olympics 100m semifinals, lost to Olympic 100m silver medallist Fred Kerley of the USA, who blasted into a 9.94 win in Brussels.
World leader Trayvon Bromell and Michael Norman of the USA took the second and third places, sealing the American medal sweep as Omanyala came in fourth.
Abel Kipsang, who finished fourth in his Olympic debut, and Charles Simotwo, who also took part at the Tokyo Games, lost to the winner Stewart Mcsweyn of Australia in the men's 1500m.
Francine Niyonsaba of Burundi produced a spectacular win in the women's 5000m, denying two-time world champion Hellen Obiri a top place in the 12.5-lap race.
Obiri kicked into the lead when the bell sounded for the final lap, but Ethiopia's Ejgayehu Taye outsprinted her with 100m to go. A re-energised Niyonsaba, however, made a comeback to take the lead, crossing the finish line in 14:25.34.
