Tarbei, Chesum and Cheruiyot aiming at sweep

PHOTO | ADRIAN DENNIS Great Britain's Richard Whitehead (C) crosses the finish line to win the Men's 200 metres T42 Final during the London 2012 Paralympic Games at the Olympic Park in east London on September 1, 2012.

What you need to know:

  • Kenyan trio through to final of 1,500m for athletes with upper limb impairment
  • Each qualified easily to the final in Saturday’s heats, with Tarbei and Chesum taking two of the top three times
  • With so many Kenyans into the final, there is no doubt they will be strategising together on how to tactically run the race

Three Kenyans on Saturday advanced into Tuesday’s final of the 1,500 metres T46 competition at the London Paralympics.

Kenya will have enough people to fill up the medal podium if Abraham Tarbei, Stanley Cheruiyot and Jonah Chesum take the top three places in Tuesday’s final.

The three athletes have an upper limb impairment that qualifies them for the T46 classification.

Each of them qualified easily to the final in Saturday’s heats, with Tarbei and Chesum taking two of the top three times.

Defending Paralympic champion and world record holder Tarbei ran a season best time of 3:59.72, much slower than his winning Beijing time of 3:52.50.

Tarbei badly wants to win gold in the final on Tuesday evening. “I’m trying by all means to see that the title remains in my country,” Tarbei said.

If the weather is good, Tarbei said that he will aim to break his world record, and that a 3:47 time is possible.

“In this world, we should live beyond our nose,” when asked why he aimed for such an ambitious time.

Jonah Chesum finished second in Heat One behind Algerian Samir Nouioua (3:57.27).

His 3:59.72 time was the fastest of all the Kenyan qualifiers, just in front of Abraham Tarbei’s 3:59.72. “Only God knows what time I will get in the final,” Chesum said.

When asked how he will fair against Tarbei, Chesum said: “I think that I will be in front of him!”

Chesum said he wants nothing less than the gold.

Meanwhile, Cheruiyot, competing in his first Paralympic Games, pulled out a personal best time (4:01.58) in the fastest heat to make the final.

He said that the fast pace set by Tarbei helped him to run a fast time.

“My intention was to make the final and I did,” Cheruiyot said.

Despite his good run, he said that the slightly cool weather and a nagging injury to his calf muscle made the race uncomfortable.

Strategising

With so many Kenyans into the final, there is no doubt they will be strategising together on how to tactically run the race.

According to Tarbei, everyone in the final has a chance to win the race because it will only be won with good tactics.

“In the final, this will be a tactical game,” Tarbei said.

“We will run with tactics because everyone there could be a winner. So we have to stay with the pack.”

Tarbei, Cheruiyot, and Chesum will compete in the final against Samir Nouioua (3:57. 27, Algeria), Wondiye Indelbu (4:00.21, Ethiopia), Mohamed Fouzai (4:01.23, Tunisia), David Emong (4:01.54, Uganda), Chris Hammer (4:03.41, USA) and Davide Dalla Palma (4:03.58, Italy) and Matthew Silcocks (4:05.48, Australia).