Nairobi — Commonwealth Games champion Abraham Kibiwott says their main mission is to reclaim the Olympics title for the men's 3000m steeplechase in Wednesday's final at the Stade de France.
Kibiwott says the trio of Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Amos Serem, Simon Koech and himself are unfazed by the calibre of their opponents in the final.
"The Moroccans and Ethiopians are evidently strong runners but we also believe in our abilities as Kenyans. We'll talk with our coaches on how we will be running in the final. But, I would like to assure Kenyans that all will be well...they should rally behind us and we will make them happy," Kibiwott said.
The three cruised into the final albeit they underwent mixed fortunes in their respective qualification rounds on Monday.
Kibiwott cruised to the final via a third-place finish in Heat 2, where he clocked 8:12.02 whereas Koech finished third in the subsequent heat after clocking 8:24.95.
Serem, on the other hand, raised a hue and cry after initially missing out due to his sixth place finish in Heat 1 of the water-and-hurdles race, clocking 8:18.41.
However, video reviews showed the 2021 World Under 20 champion had been shoved in the back while approaching the water barrier in the final lap.
Serem was compelled to evade the barrier before coming back to jump over it, which ultimately slowed down his momentum and left him playing catch-up with the leading pack.
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Reminiscing on the turn of events, Kibiwott notes that Serem's tribulations is lesson enough for all them to be more careful in the final.
"Now that all of us are in the final, we need to be more careful. We don't want any of us to be boxed inside the inner lane where there is a lot of shoving. Even in my heat, there was a lot of pushing so it calls for us to be focused when we get into the final," the world 3000m steeplechase bronze medalist observed.
Kenya will be looking to reclaim a title that has been an emblem of its status as an athletics powerhouse.
To do that, the trio will have to upstage defending champion Soufiane El Bakkali who shattered Kenya's dominance of the steeplechase at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Since then, the Moroccan has continued to add insult to injury by clinching his first world title in 2022 in Oregon, before successfully defending in Budapest, last year.
As they step onto the tartan at Stade de France, Kibiwott reveals they benefited from priceless advice from two-time Olympics champion Ezekiel Kemboi.
"He was with us in our training camp back home and when we were at the airport, he was there to see us off. He encouraged us and gave us tips on how to bring home the gold medal," the 2016 African champion revealed.
