Paris 2024: Tighten your laces, it's about to go down

Two times Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon after their last training at Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret Uasin Gishu County yesterday. July 27, 2024. [Peter Ochieng, Standard]

Two women will be leading Kenya's charges in the 2024 Paris Olympics as the 5,000m and 800m heats start on Friday.

At 7pm, Faith Kipyegon, the former women’s 5,000m World Record holder, will be looking to sail to the final scheduled for Monday August 5.

In the 5,000m Olympic catfight, Kipyegon, who will also compete in 1500m, says her sights will be on the gold medal.

But before the starting at the final, the two-time Olympic 1,500 champion has to show what she is made of in tomorrow’s first round of the contest.

“I feel good after coming back strongly following my injury. I thank God that everything is okay now. Hopefully, as a team, we will do well. The training has been good and we are set,” Kipyegon said.

With compatriots 10,000m World Record holder Beatrice Chebet and world silver medallist Margaret Chelimo among other world beaters in the mix, a tough contest for spots in the final is in the offing.

Women’s 5,000m World Recorder Gudaf Tsegay, who is in the Paris Olympics mix, is a major threat to the Kenyan trio’s ambitious campaign to bring home medals in the 12.5-lap contest.

With Kipyegon and Tsegay in the race, blistering sprints are expected, but the latter says, a world record is not the main focus, but the gold medal is.

Chebet, like Chelimo, is also confident of cruising to the final.

Kenya's Beatrice Chebet celebrates after winning women's 5000m final at the Doha Diamond League. [AFP]

Meanwhile, Kenya’s 'dancing queen' Mary Moraa, alongside Lilian Odira, Vivian Chebet and Naomi Korir will be carrying the country’s hopes when the women’s 800m heats begin tomorrow at 8:45pm.

Moraa is one the most decorated in the contest, taking to the start a world title from Budapest, last year.

Odira on the other hand is taking to the heats a glorious win at the national trials in June.

But the women’s 800m squad will have to contend with strong opposition from experienced two-lap athletes such as Great Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson - an in-form star who bagged silver at the Tokyo Olympics and was runner-up in the last two World Championships.

Before the women’s 1500m and 800m, the men’s 1500m big shots take part in their  heats.

The men’s 1500m will start at 12:10pm. World Under-20 champion Reynold Cheruiyot alongside his mentor Timothy Cheruiyot, a World champion from 2019 as well as Brian Komen and Olympian Abel Kipsang will be Kenya’s flag bearers.

“I am ready to compete in the heats. Last year, I competed at the World Championships and it was challenging. My target is to reach the Olympic finals and from there we will plan how to compete. Debuting at the Olympics is exciting,” Reynold said.

Reynold, who trained in Eldoret before departure, said he prepared well, alongside Komen, for the 1500m Olympic race.