This archive report was first published on 1 October 2019.
On Tuesday, October 1, 2019, reigning champion Conseslus Kipruto will take the first step towards defending his title in the men's 3,000 meters steeplechase at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar.
Published on October 1, 2019, Kipruto will compete in the first heat of the event, which will feature 15 athletes, including his fellow Kenyan Benjamin Kigen, Ethiopia's Chalo Beyo, and Uganda's Benjamin Kiplagat.
According to Kipruto, his priority in the race remains reaching the final. “Tomorrow we will start our campaign with the semis where we will seek to finish among the first three across the line so as to reach the final. Personally, I want to win my heat and to put myself in a good mental state to win the final,” Kipruto told Nation Sport.
Kenya's other representatives, Leonard Bett and Abraham Kibiwot, will also compete in the first and second heats respectively. Bett will face Kenyan-born American Stanley Kebenei and Uganda's Boniface Sikowo in the first heat, while Kibiwott will compete in the second heat alongside 2017 silver medalist Soufiane Elbakkali from Morocco.
