The Kenyan quartet, comprising Olympic bronze medalist Abraham Kibiwott, World Under-20 champion Edmund Serem, Simon Koech, and Wilberforce Kones, will launch their campaign to reclaim Kenya’s dominance in the 3,000m steeplechase on April 26 at the 2025 Diamond League opener in Xiamen.
Fresh from NPS bronze, Kibiwott eyes a strong start in Xiamen.
“My first race will be the Xiamen Diamond League, which I hope to build on with a strong performance,” Kibiwott told The Star.
Meanwhile, Edmund Serem, yet to compete this season, is determined to prove his worth in his senior international debut.
“Being a world junior champion, I must show I have arrived in the senior ranks. I am more than ready to compete,” Serem declared.
Wilberforce Kones enters the race after a seventh-place finish at the FNB Botswana Golden Grand Prix, where Ethiopian runners dominated. However, the Kenyan contingent knows that the real challenge lies in dethroning the indomitable Soufiane El Bakkali.
The Moroccan superstar, a double Olympic champion (Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024), remains the undisputed king of the steeplechase.
Beyond the steeplechase, Kenya’s distance running royalty will also be in action. Olympic champion Beatrice Chebet leads the 5,000m field with African champion Caroline Nyaga. Chebet has already shown strong form this season, winning the Elgoibar Cross Country and NPS Championships.
Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon drops to 1,000m, facing Ethiopia’s 2018 bronze medalist Habitam Alemu.
Africa’s fastest man, Ferdinand Omanyala, is set for a blockbuster 100m clash against Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo, former world champion Christian Coleman, and World Indoor bronze medalist Akani Simbine.
Simbine recently edged Omanyala in Botswana with a world-leading 9.90 seconds, setting the stage for an explosive rematch in Xiamen.
