NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 19 – Former champion Timothy Cheruiyot survived a last minute swarm of bodies at the finish line to sneak in sixth as all Kenyan athletes made the semi-finals of the 1500m at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest on Saturday.
World U20 champion Reynold Cheruiyot and Abel Kipsang both also made the semis, as Kenya remained on course for a possible medal sweep in a hugely competitive event.
Reigning World U20 champion Reynold put in a determined display to finish third in his heat in a time of 3:34.24. He had run in the middle of the pack for most of the race, but at the home stretch, surged his tempo a bit just to ensure he secured one of the six qualification positions.
Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen was the winner of the heat in 3:33.94 while Great Briton Josh Kerr was second in 3:34.00.
Cheruiyot was up next on the track, and he came in with a different strategy, straight up front running.
The 2019 World Champion maintained his lead all through the race, but in the final 50m of the last lap, a swarm of bodies surged on either side and threatened to deny him a place in the semi.
He however just but managed to finish in sixth place, the last automatic qualification position, timing 3:47.09. Spaniard Mario Garcia won the race after running off Cheruiyot’s blindside while South African Tshepo Tshite was second.
Kipsang meanwhile won his heat, clocking 3:34.08 which was the third fastest qualification time. Just like Cheruiyot, he led from start to finish, but when he noticed runners on his blind sides, increased his pace to ensure he finished top.
