Chemos plans assault on World record in Brussels

Milcah Chemos Cheywa has said she is preparing to attack the 3000m Steeplechase World Record at the Belgacom Memorial Van Damme on September 16, the final stop on the 2011 Samsung Diamond League series.

The 25-year-old has won 12 out of 13 races in the 3000m Steeplechase since June 2010. She set her personal best on the distance with her third place finish at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin clocking 9:08.57.

Chemos has already secured the 2011 Diamond Race in the event so long as she finishes in the final in Brussels.

Chemos won all the Samsung Diamond Races so far this year, starting in Doha and then continuing her winning streak in Rome, New York, Lausanne and London.

“There is no pressure whatsoever for me in the Samsung Diamond League Final in Brussels,” said Chemos, one of the favourites for gold at the World Championships which begin on August 27 in Daegu, Korea.

“Therefore I hope to fulfill my great dream and that is to beat the 3000m Steeplechase World Record by Gulnara Samitova.”

Samitova set the current mark of 8:58.81 at the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008 when she became the event’s first Olympic champion. Her run remains the only performance under nine minutes.

Sweep the podium

On the World Championships, Chemos is confident Kenya can sweep the podium in Daegu. She said nothing can stop Kenya’s charge if they work as a team.

Chemos, who is also the African and Commonwealth champion ,said her team of Lydiah Rotich and Mercy Njoroge is the strongest ever and capable of making Kenya proud again.

Chemos orchestrated a Kenyan sweep when she clocked 9:40.96 to win the “Club” Games gold as Njoroge 9:41.54 settled for silver with Gladys Jerotich Kipkemoi 9:52.51 completing the haul.

“The feat is achievable but only if we embrace the Commonwealth Game spirit and run as a team,” said Chemos, who won bronze at the 2009 World Championships with personal best 9:08.57, behind Marta Domínguez (Spain) and Yuliya Zarudneva (Russia).

“First things first, we must ensure that we all make to the final then we mount our strategy from them,” explained Chemos, who is coached by her husband, Alex Sang.

Finished fourth

Chemos said has matured enough with Njoroge who finished fourth in 3000 metres steeplechase at the 2004 World Junior Championships and 2005 World Cross Country Championships (junior) to win sliver at Delhi.

Rotich finished fifth at the 2009 World Athletics Final and was to plough personal best time is 9:21.38 minutes in May 2010 in Shanghai.

“Personally, I hope to uphold my performance graph that has been on the high,” said Chemos who boast of the world leading time of 9:12.89 set at Roma Diamond league event on May 26.

Precisely, Chemos has won five out of the six events in the Diamond League so far, missing the Birmingham race that went to Sofia Assefa from Ethiopia. Chemos beat Beijing Olympic champion Gulnara Gulkina from Russia at USA Diamond League event on June 11. The Russian settled third behind Chemos and Assefa.

Chemos, Njoroge and Rotich had swept the top three places in Diamond League’s opener on May 6 in Doha.

“We still need to be cautious of Assega, Gulkina-Samitova, Dominguez and Zarudneva,” warned Chemos.