World Champions Faith Kipyegon and Beatrice Chebet, as well as Agnes Jebet Ngétich qualified for this Saturday’s 5000m final as debutant Margaret Akidor missed the cut in Thursday’s round 1 at the ongoing World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan.
Chebet, the reigning Olympic champion over the distance, was the fastest, winning heat 1 in 14 minutes 45.59 seconds, beating Italian Nadia Battocletti and American Shelby Houlihan to 2nd and 3rd positions, respectively, as another Kenyan, Margaret Akidor, finished a distant 14th.
4-time World Champion Kipyegon eased to the final, finishing 2nd in heat 2 with a season-best time of 14:56.71 behind Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia, who won in 14:56.46.
Ngétich, who holds the 10km world record, also punched her ticket for the final despite finishing 8th in the 2nd heat.
Olympic Champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi will be the sole Kenyan in the 800m final after finishing 2nd in heat 3 of the semi-final with a time of 1:43.47, behind Spaniard Mohamed Attaoui, who won in 1:43.18.
Kelvin Kimtai and Nicholas Kebenei failed to make it to the final.
Defending champion Mary Moraa clocked 1:58.44 to finish 2nd in heat 2, booking her ticket for the semi-final.
National Champion Lillian Odira won heat 5 in 1:57.86 to sail through, while World Under-20 Champion Sarah Moraa also qualified for tomorrow’s semi-final after a successful appeal after being tripped.
In other results of the day, Collen Kibinatshipi and Bayapo Ndori of Botswana won gold and bronze medals in the 400m. In comparison, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone of the USA won the women’s title with a new championship record of 47.78 in her maiden appearance over the distance since switching from 400m hurdles.
