Serem keeps Kenya’s legendary 3000m steeplechase glory alive
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Serem fulfills a promise made to his brother
After a promise he made to his brother, Edmund Serem, today on the 15th of September, kept the Kenyan steeplechase glory alive in the men’s 3000m steeplechase final at the Japan National Stadium on the third day of the Tokyo 25 World Athletics Championships
The first 1000m of the race was crossed at a pedestrian pace of 3:04.47, a slower pace than the women used in some of their heats. No one was willing to set the pace. Serem secured a vantage position in the inside lane, ensuring that he was always in a good position to avoid covering extra distance on the outside lane and getting boxed in when he needed to move to the front.
Through the next three laps after that, Serem remained patient in second place as Frederik Ruppert of Germany took the lead before USA’s Daniel Michalski moved to the front and increased the pace. The last 1000m progressed into an exciting climax as the anticipated duel between Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali and Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma appeared to materialize. Lamecha went to the front at the bell and El Bakkali immediately went after him. With 150m to go, El Bakkali overtook the world record holder as he sprinted towards the finish line.
Meanwhile, New Zealand’s Geordie Beamish who had been in 11th place at the bell had gradually moved rapidly through the rest of the competitors and was suddenly in fourth place on the home stretch. He quickly hunted down El Bakkali to edge him at the finish line as he ran 8:33.88 against the Olympic Champion’s 8:33.95.
It was another huge surprise win of the championships, coming from a runner who almost failed to make it to the final after falling in his heat. As he ran around in celebration, El Bakkali lied down on the track for a while before standing up and appearing teary as he punched his head in what wasn’t clear if it was a celebration or disappointment.
Behind the two, 17-year-old World U20 champion was glad to win a bronze medal in his entry into the senior championships.
“It is my first World Championships, and to run the final with all these legends is something amazing. That is a great experience for me as a 17-year old guy. I have run many Diamond League races with them, but this was different. We have no pacemakers, and the race was very slow from the beginning. I tried to take a great position for the last lap sprints and was sure I’d have enough power because I did a huge job over the last year to increase my endurance and speed,” SErem said after the race.
He also wished his elder brother, Amos Serem, the 2021 World U20 champion, a quick recovery. He had talked for almost an hour on phone with him ahead of the final. He would have loved to run in the same race with him, but the latter got injured ahead of the Kenyan trials.
“If you will do your work with a cool head, if you stay calm and clever, you can do everything. Go out and come back home with a medal,” his brother had told him over the phone, and he did exactly that.
“Now my medal is around my neck. I want to say to my brother, that he should be strong in fighting his injury. Next year, the world can expect the Serem brothers running in the same races,” the new World medalist said.
Timothy Cheruiyot and Reynold Cheruiyot advance to the final in the men’s 1500m
After Kenyan fans felt disappointed when their medal hopeful, Phanuel Koech, fell and failed to advance to the semi-finals on the second day of the championships, the third day gave them some hope as Timothy Cheruiyot and Reynold Cheruiyot made it to the finals in two dramatic semi-finals.
No other race has demonstrated more clearly that Diamond League runners are not necessarily the best runners at major global championships than the men’s 1500m race!
It is mind-boggling that the multiple world record holder, Jakob Ingebrigtsen, two of the fastest runners in the distance this year, Azeddine Habz and Phanuel Koech, and all four of the top four fastest runners this season are not in the final.
It may be understandable in the case of the reigning Olympic Champion. Cole Hocker missed the final due to a disqualification because avoiding that in a 1500m race is not an athletic skill, and has nothing to do with speed and endurance.
Both heats were so crowded to the finish line that the qualification process almost felt like a gamble. All the top 11 runners in the first heat finished within a fraction of a second, with Niels Laros of the Netherlands edging out the rest of the field. Similarly, the second heat, which was won by Reynold Cheruiyot, had nine runners finishing within a second.
