Kwemoi, Mateiko and Waithaka hunt elusive 10,000m gold

Kenya’s Rodgers Kwemoi (bronze) poses with his medal a day after the atheltics men’s 10000m final during the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games at the Carrara Stadium on the Gold Coast on April 14, 2018. / AFP PHOTO

Will the mystery continue as to when Kenya will reclaim the 10,000m title?

Charles Kimathi last won gold at the World Championships in Edmonton, Canada, in 2001 and the trio of Rodgers Kwemoi, Daniel Mateiko and the 2018 world Under-20 10,000m silver medalist Stanley Waithaka will be hoping to deliver the elusive gold medal in today’s fascinating 25-lap battle.

Kenya has three gold medals at the World Championships won by Paul Kipkoech (1987), Moses Tanui (1991) and Charles Kamathi (2001) while Ethiopia lead with nine medals from Haile Gebreselassie (1993, 1995, 1997 and 1999), Kenenisa Bekele (2003, 2005, 2007 and 2009) and Ibrahim Jeilan in 2011.

Britain boast of three titles from Mo Farah’s wins in 2013, 2015 and 2017.

Kwemoi, the most experienced of the Kenyans in the startlist, produced a stellar performance at the 2022 Istanbul half marathon in March when he led 1-2-3 finish for Kenya with Matieko finishing second. 

Mateiko, 23, has a best of  27:03.94 with Kwemoi, who finished seventh place at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics holding a personal best of 26:55.36 and Waithaka has 27:13.01 in the 10,000m event.

If the Kenyans were to mount a serious quest to end the gold medal drought, they will have to contain the defending champion Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda.

The Ugandan has the motivation of potentially becoming the fourth back-to-back world 10,000m champion, after Haile Gebrselassie, Kenenisa Bekele and Mo Farah.

Cheptegei is accompanied by Jacob Kiplimo and Stephen Kissa in the Ugandan line up.

Other big shots in the field include Ethiopia’s Selemon Barega who boasts a 26:44.73 PB for that distance alongside Berihu Aregawi and Tadese Worku.

Barega, the 5000m silver medallist has not shown his sharpness this season in the Diamond League 5000m races in Eugene and Rome, finishing third in the former and fourth in the latter.

He did, though, win the Ethiopian 10,000m trials in Hengelo on June 5, clocking is PB of 26:44.73, and was a Diamond League 5000m winner in Paris on June 18.

Canadian Mohammed Ahmed has earned medals in the past two global 5000m finals and can easily make a podium finish in Oregon. [Dennis Okeyo, World Athletics]