Kenya’s world record holder Chepkoech leads quest for gold in steeple

IN DOHA

The women’s 3,000 metres steeplechase world record holder, Beatrice Chepkoech, teams up with 2015 world champion Hyvin Kiyeng and Celliphine Chespol in the final of the water and barriers race on Monday from 9.30pm at the World Championships in Doha.

Chepkoech, who won the 3000m steeplechase trophy in the just ended Diamond League season, leads a three-pronged Kenyan assault on the title in the final that will see them come face to face with defending champion Emma Coburn from the United States of America.

At the same time, Chepkoech will be out to atone for the mistake she made in the final of 2017 edition of the games in London when she missed the water jump and was forced back, by which time her opponents had gone made significant progress in the race.

On that occasion, Coburn timed 9 minutes, 02.58 seconds to win the title, followed by her compatriot Courtney Frerichs (9.03.77) and Kiyeng (9.04.03).

Both Coburn and Frerichs will be in today’s competition, making for a sumptuous race.

FASTEST TIME

Chepkoech heads to tonight’s final with the fastest time from the heats, having timed 9:18.01 to win the first heat on Friday to qualify for the final alongside second-placed Frerichs (9:18.42) and Germany’s Gesa Krause (9:18.82).

Perhaps keen to let her performance do the talking, Chepn’getich has said very little since qualifying for the final, instead opting to prepare quietly.

Uganda’s Peruth Chemutai will also be in the final. She timed 9:21.98 to win heat one ahead of Coburn (9:23.40) and Chespol (9:24.22).

Twenty-year-old Chespol represented Kenya at the 2017 World Championships and ran with the breakaway lead pack until the last two laps when she faded off to eventually finish sixth.

After Friday’s heat’s, she said the team would come up with strategy for Monday’s final.

“Our aim was to reach the final and to plan the rest once that is done. It feels good to qualify because that puts us in a good place to compete for medal places. We will sit as a team and come up with a plan for the final,” Chespol said after competing in the heats on Friday.

Meanwhile, World Athletics Championships organisers delayed the start time of the women’s 20km race walk on Sunday as Doha’s heat and humidity again triggered concerns for athlete safety.

A day after dozens of exhausted runners failed to finish the women’s marathon as brutal conditions took their toll, officials said the women’s 20km scheduled to start at 11.30pm (2030 GMT) on Sunday would now get under way at 11.59pm instead.

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) said in a statement the move had been made in “consideration of the predicted weather conditions for the scheduled start.”
Half-hour delay

“The IAAF Medical Delegate analysed all available information on the likely temperatures and humidity and recommended a half-hour delay to the start to attain the best possible conditions for athletes during the race,” the statement said.

The IAAF said the forecast WetBulb Globe Temperature -- a measure of the heat stress which combines temperature, humidity, wind speed and other factors -- was expected to be 28 degrees Celsius (82 Fahrenheit) at the new start time.

The bulk of events in Doha are taking place inside the climate-controlled confines of the Khalifa Stadium, where a state-of-the-art air-conditioning systems maintains a comfortable temperature of around 23 degrees for athletes and spectators.

But marathon runners and endurance athletes however have been left to battle through the challenging combination of heat and humidity alone, stoking safety fears and drawing criticism from athletes.

The start times for all of the outside events have been shifted to around midnight in order to shield athletes from the worst of the heat in Doha, where daytime temperatures can reach 40 degrees.

However not even a start just a minute before midnight on Friday could prevent chaos at the women’s marathon, where 28 of the 68-strong field fell by the wayside as the sauna-like conditions decimated the field.

Thirty athletes required medical attention while “a small number” were kept under observation. One athlete was referred to hospital, the IAAF said. IAAF President Sebastian Coe has defended the sport’s governing body over the weather issue, insisting that athlete safety is paramount.

The organisers point to larger than usual teams of paramedics on hand and an abundance of water and refreshment stations along the courses for the walking and marathon events.

“The overwhelming thrust of this is the welfare of the athletes,” Coe said. However for athletes toiling away in the conditions, the opening marathon was a grim experience.

Additional reporting by AFP.

MONDAY'S PROGRAMME

4:30pm: Javelin Throw (women) Qualification Group A
5:05pm: 200m (women) Heats
6:00pm Javelin Throw (women) Qualification Group B
6:20pm: 400m (women) Heats
8:05pm: 110m Hurdles (men) Heats
8:30pm: High Jump (women) Final
8:50pm: 200m (men) Semi-Final
9:15pm: Discus Throw (men) Final
9:20pm: 5000m (men) Final
9:50pm: 3000m Steeplechase (women) Final
10:10pm: 800m (women) Final
10:40pm: 400m Hurdles (men) Final