Athletics Kenya (AK) has officially announced that it will use this year`s Prefontaine classic Diamond League to select the men’s 10,000m and women’s 5,000m team to represent the country at 2025 World Athletics Championships set to take place in Tokyo, Japan.
The national governing body confirmed that the athletes will be chosen based on their performance. The decision reinforces AK’s commitment to a transparent and merit-based selection process for global competitions.
Meanwhile, the men’s 5000m and women’s 10,000m will be during the trials for World Athletics Championships in Nairobi set for 14th and 16th next month.
In a press statement, AK expressed appreciation to the organizers of the Prefontaine Classic . Thisis by offering a world-class training and competition environment. The annual meet is on July 5th at Hayward Field, University of Oregon in Eugene , USA. It continues to play a crucial role in shaping Kenya’s long-distance hopefuls.
“We are grateful to the Prefontaine Classic organizing committee for ensuring our athletes have access to top-tier competition and facilities,” AK noted.
This will be the 2nd year in a row that AK is using the Diamond League to select teams for major championships. The 10,000m team for both gender was done in a similar event for the Paris Olympics last year.
Kenya’s history at Prefontaine Classic
Kenya has a storied history at the Prefontaine Classic. In 2011, Moses Mosop made headlines by setting world records. That was in both the 25,000m (1:12:25.4) and 30,000m (1:26:47.4) at the same venue.
At the 2023 World Athletics Championships, Beatrice Chebet stunned the world by smashing the women’s 10,000m world recor. She did it with a time of 28:54.14, securing her place at the Paris 2024 Olympics. In Paris she went on to claim gold medals in both the 10,000m and 5000m.
Her compatriots Lilian Kasait and Margaret Chelimo also delivered exceptional performances in that historic 10,000m race. They finished third and fourth respectively with times of 29:26.89 and 29:27.59. Their consistency continued into the 2024 World Cross Country Championships in Belgrade, Serbia. Chebet, Kasait, and Chelimo dominated the podium with a gold-silver-bronze sweep for Kenya.
Athletics Kenya believes this year’s trials will deliver the same level of intensity and excellence.
“We expect a fiercely competitive showdown at the trials and are confident in assembling a formidable team capable of making history in Tokyo,” AK stated.
The 20th edition of the World Athletics Championships, will be held from 13 to 21 September 2025 in Tokyo ,Japan
