Kenya’s rising middle-distance star Phanuel Koech continued his remarkable breakthrough season by storming to a meet record of 3:29.05 to win the men’s 1500 metres at the prestigious Ostrava Golden Spike on Tuesday evening.
The 19-year-old, who has quickly established himself as one of the most exciting young prospects in global athletics, outkicked Portugal’s Isaac Nader, who finished second in a new national record of 3:29.37. Australia’s Josh Hoey completed the podium with a personal best time of 3:29.75.
Men’s 1500m Final Results
| Position | Bib | Athlete | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 | Phanuel Kipkosgei KOECH | 3:29.05 | MR |
| 2 | 11 | Isaac NADER | 3:29.37 | NR |
| 3 | 13 | Josh HOEY | 3:29.75 | PB |
| 4 | 14 | Cameron MYERS | 3:29.80 | PB |
| 5 | 8 | Narve Giljes NORDAS | 3:30.73 | SB |
| 6 | 12 | Samuel PIHLSTRÖM | 3:31.18 | |
| 7 | 6 | Jude THOMAS | 3:32.07 | PB |
| 8 | 5 | Raphael PALLITSCH | 3:32.96 | NR |
| 9 | 10 | Tshepo TSHITE | 3:34.14 | |
| 10 | 3 | Filip SASÍNEK | 3:34.30 | PB |
| 11 | 2 | Amason KIREU | 3:35.09 | |
| 12 | 4 | Adam FOGG | 3:35.24 | |
| 13 | 1 | Melese NBERET | 3:35.25 | SB |
| 14 | 7 | Samuel TANNER | 3:40.02 | |
| 15 | 9 | Kristian Uldbjerg HANSEN | 3:40.76 | |
| — | — | Mounir AKBACHEPACE | DNF | |
| — | — | Jan VUKOVIČPACE | DNF |
Koech’s performance comes just four days after he stunned the athletics world by setting a world U20 record of 3:27.72 at the Meeting de Paris, further underlining his incredible form in 2025.
The Ostrava result adds another impressive accolade to Koech’s season. Earlier this month, he clocked 3:32.26 at the Lucca International Meeting in Italy, part of the World Athletics Continental Tour Challenger series, a personal best at the time before his Paris heroics.
Before bursting onto the international scene in the 1500m, Koech showed his versatility as a middle-distance talent. In June 2024, he ran an 800 metres personal best of 1:46.93 at the Kenyan U20 trials in Nairobi. He went on to represent Kenya at the 2024 World Athletics U20 Championships in Lima, Peru, finishing fifth in the 800m final.
His endurance credentials were evident as early as November 2024, when he placed third behind Emmanuel Wanyonyi in the Athletics Kenya 2km cross country race in Iten.
With back-to-back record-breaking performances in Paris and Ostrava, Koech is now firmly on the radar as one of the athletes to watch ahead of the World Athletics Championships later this year in Tokyo.
