This archive report was first published on 4 October 2019.
On October 2, 2019, Emmanuel Korir, a Kenyan athlete based in the US, achieved a season-best time of 44.37 seconds in the 400m semi-finals at the Khalifa International stadium in Doha, Qatar.
Behind American Fred Kerley, who won the race in 44.25 seconds, Korir's performance marked a significant improvement and a step closer to his goal of breaking the 27-year-old Kenyan national record of 44.18 seconds set by Samson Kitur during the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
With his sights set on the podium, Korir expressed his satisfaction with his performance, stating, "I ran well and achieved my goal of advancing to the final. My aim is to break the national record (44.18). I am not sad about not making it to the 800m final because I gave it everything I had. I will fight in the final and if I finish in top three, I will be very happy,"
However, another Kenyan athlete, national champion Alphas Kishoyian, failed to advance to the final after finishing sixth in 45.55 seconds.
The men's 400m final will feature a strong lineup, including Steven Gardiner of the Bahamas, Kirani James of Grenada, and 2012 Olympic champion, but will lack world leader American Michael Norman, who was last in the third semi-final, clocking 45.94 seconds.
