Dj Vnyash
When athletics begins at the Paris Games, there will be high expectations for Kenya as they aim to maintain their dominance in middle and long-distance events.
Kenya has selected over thirty athletes for the Games.
Athletics will commence on August 1st with the men’s and women’s 20km walk and conclude on August 11th with the women’s marathon.
The competition will feature seventeen sessions at Stade De France, with track and field finals taking place in the evenings and road events occurring in the mornings on four separate days.
World Athletics has indicated that athletes will be able to compete in multiple events, such as the 100m and 200m, 800m and 1500m, 1500m and 5000m, or 5000m and 10,000m, without participating in more than one event per day.
Possible event doubles include the long jump and triple jump, and the 20km and 35km race walks.
Faith Kipyegon and Beatrice Chebet are among the athletes scheduled to compete in multiple events. Kipyegon will race in both the women’s 1500m and 5000m, aiming to defend her 1500m title from Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, and to win her first Olympic Gold in the 5000m. She recently broke the world record in the 1500m and is a favorite for the Games.
Eliud Kipchoge is another Kenyan hopeful for a Gold medal in the men’s marathon. He will be pursuing his third consecutive Gold, following his wins in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. Despite finishing 10th in this year’s Tokyo Marathon, Kipchoge, the first man to run a marathon in under two hours, remains a strong contender, alongside Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele.
Hellen Obiri, competing in the women’s marathon after transitioning from other distances post-Tokyo 2020, is expected to perform well. She comes into the Games in strong form after winning the Boston Marathon and will be joined by defending champion Peris Jepchirchir and Sharon Lokedi, aiming for a top-three finish for Kenya.
Kenya is also anticipated to excel in the men’s and women’s 800m races, with Emmanuel Wanyama and Mary Moraa being key contenders. Wanyama, a silver medalist from the World Championships in Budapest, and Moraa, who won a world championship title last year and will also compete in the women’s 400m, are expected to shine.
In the women’s 10,000m, world record holder Beatrice Chebet is a favorite, also competing in the 5000m against Kipyegon.
One area of concern is the men’s 3000m steeplechase, where Kenya has struggled to maintain its dominance in recent years. The last Olympic Gold in this event was won by Kenya at the 2016 Rio Games.
