In Eugene,Oregon,USA
African champion Emmanuel Lemiso and Nicholas Losiwareng Kitum, secured their spots in Sunday’s 3000M SC as the 21st World Athletics Under-20 Championships entered its second day at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, USA.
Losiwareng was the fastest, winning Heat 1 of the first round in 8:45.26, followed by Tunisia’s Mohammed Ali Hamdi and Soheib Dissa from Algeria, who completed the top three.
Speaking about his performance, Losiwareng said he is targeting a podium finish in Sunday’s final before switching focus to next year’s World Athletics Championships.
“I led from start to finish. I didn’t want to pressure myself in the finishing stages. Now, I am eyeing a podium finish and then focus on next year’s World Athletics Championships.”
Lemiso also won Heat 2 from the start, finishing in 8:47.61.
“The race was good today. My main goal was to qualify for Sunday’s final, and now it’s my prayer that I sign out my under-20 career with a medal,” stated Lemiso.
Moroccan Mahmoud Bilal and Jeremiah Kwemoi of Uganda finished 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
Kenyans will be keen to retain the title won by Edmund Serem in 2024.
