Timothy Cheruiyot reacts after his heat (C) NOCK
Kenya's representatives in the 1 500 metres at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, the trio of Brian Komen, Reynold Kipkorir, and Timothy Cheruiyot, qualified for the semifinals of the event following relatively comfortable cruises in their Heats on Friday morning at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis Paris.
This year's event attracted 45 athletes and it was Komen, the reigning African Champion following his victory at the 2024 African Athletics Championship held in Douala, Cameroon, in June, who was the first Kenyan to take the track in Heat One.
The 2023 Africa Games 1 500 metres champion, who turns 26 on August 10, had a smooth sail in his heat, never appeared troubled as he finished second with a time of 3:36.31. Josh Kerr od Great Britain, who is the reigning world champion, won the heat with a time 3:35.83, a season best for the 26-year old.
The Norwegian Narve Nordas was third (3:36.41). Anass Essayi of Morocco finished fourth (3:36.44). Yared Nuguse of the USA was fifth (3:36.56). The German Robert Farken claimed the last automatic qualification slot with a sixth place finish (3:36.62).
With the top six athletes in each heat qualifying automatically for the semifinals, the athletes who finish below the automatic qualification positions get a second chance to make the semifinals by competing in the repechage round, that is as long as they do not get disqualified during the race or fail to start or finish the race.
Heat Two was the fastest, as the top runners in that race ran sub 3:35 times. Cheruiyot featured in this heat and he did just enough to finish within the automatic qualification positions as the 2020 Tokyo clocked 3:35.39 to rank fifth.
The Ethiopian Ermias Girma won the race with a time of the 3:35.21.
The other athletes who survived the Heat's frantic finish were: American Cole Hocker (2nd, 3:35.27), Italian Pietro Arese (3rd, 3.35.30), Dutch Niel Laros (4th, 3:35.38, season best), and Portuguese Isaac Nader (6th, 3:35.42).
Heat Three, despite being the slowest, also had a frantic end like Heat Two.
Kenya's youthful debutant, the 20-year old Reynold Kipkorir Cheruiyot, finished fourth with a time of 3:37.12 in the race that also had the reigning Olympic champion and record holder in the event, the Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who was third with a time of 3:37.04.
Stefan Nillessen of the Netherlands won the race with a time of 3:36.77 after sprinting away with 300 metres to go to set the other athletes chasing him hence the race's frantic end.
American Hobbs Kessler (2nd, 3:36.87), Briton Neil Gourley (5th, 3:37.18), and Ethiopian Samuel Tefera (6th, 3:37.34) also managed to qualify automatically from Heat Three.
Athletes who did not finish in the top six in their heats will contest the Repechage Round on Saturday, August 3.
The semifinals will take place on Sunday, August 4, with the final scheduled for Tuesday, August 6.
