Paris 2024: Timothy leads Komen and Reynold into 1500m semis as he eyes another podium finish

(L-R) Britain's George Mills, Kenya's Timothy Cheruiyot and Australia's Stewart McSweyn compete in the men's 1500m heat of the athletics event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on August 2, 2024. [AFP]

Tokyo Olympics 1500m silver medallist and 2019 world champion Timothy Cheruiyot is on course for another podium finish after storming into the Paris 2024 Olympic Games semi-finals at a lively Stade de France on Friday.

Timothy proved his worth to sail through alongside his compatriots Brian Komen and Reynold Cheruiyot.

The trio finished among the top six in their respective heats to secure a spot in the semis slated for tomorrow (8.10pm). The final is set for Tuesday.

The Kenyans face a real threat from Olympic gold medallist Jakob Ingebrigtsen and world champion Josh Kerr who also easily sailed through into the next round. Kenya haven’t won men’s 1500m title since Asbel Kiprop's exploits at the 2008 Beijing Games.

Even though Timothy expects stiff competition in Paris, he feels time is ripe for them to restore Kenya’s lost glory in the race.

He finished fifth with a time of 3:35.39 in a closely contested second heat that was clinched by Ermias Girma from Ethiopia who posted 3:35.21.

“First race is always not easy, but I’m happy I made it into the semi-finals,  that’s where my focus is for now,” Timothy told Standard Sports.

“Championships are never easy, but I was counting those in front of me as I moved close to the finish line trying to be in the top six.

He continued: “1500m is one of the most competitive and fastest races here in Paris. They (Ingebrigtsen and Kerr) are among the strongest athletes in the world but we just need to be smart and focus to go past the semi-finals, then plan well for the finals. We can beat them.

“Athletics has evolved and the race has become really competitive, but since it’s me who changed everything by running very fast 1500m in the world in 2019,I can do it again,” Timothy said.

Komen, who is the African champion, set the ball rolling for the East African nation, clocking 3:36.31 to qualify in the first heat won by Great Britain’s Josh Kerr in a time of 3:35.83.

Youthful Reynold didn’t disappoint either as the 2022 World U20 champion scooped a fourth spot after clocking 3:37.12 in heat three behind third-placed Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen (3:37.04).

While his tactics paid off on his Olympic debut as he strategically controlled the race from the first lap, Komen has set his eyes on the final.

“The atmosphere was good and the race was nice, and I enjoyed it. My target here was to qualify for the semi-finals and I have already done that. Now I'm going to relax and wait for the next race,” said Komen.

“There's nothing I can work on right now in the semis, I leave everything to God. Our target as Team Kenya is to qualify for the finals, and then God will lead us from there. If we all sail through to the finals, I will sit down with my coach and teammates then see how we can do it."

Reflecting on his qualification, Komen said: "It was my tactic to secure the position, so that I can run comfortably with disturbances from my opponents, and I'm glad I managed to do that.

“I have been training for the last kick because everybody is good in lapping so the only place to secure a position or medal is the last 200m or 300m.”