Analysis: Inside Kenya's 58-strong roster for World Athletics Championships in Tokyo

Kenya named a 58-member squad for the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, led by three-time Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon and rising star Emmanuel Wanyonyi. Blending veterans with U20 record-breakers like Phanuel Koech, the team aims to surpass its 2015 medal-topping performance of seven gold, six silver and three bronze in Beijing.

NAIROBI, July 29 (Xinhua) -- With less than two months until the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Kenya has named a 58-member squad headlined by three-time Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon and rising men's 800m star Emmanuel Wanyonyi.

The roster was finalized following the conclusion of national trials in Nairobi, where more than 150 elite athletes from across the country competed for a place at the biennial event.

Several current world record holders, including Kipyegon and Beatrice Chebet, will lead the team. They are joined by a new generation of African champions and U20 world titleholders aiming for breakthrough performances on the senior stage.

Athletics Kenya also confirmed that marathon great Eliud Kipchoge, 40, has voluntarily opted out of the championships to allow younger athletes greater opportunity on the global stage.

Trials for the men's 10,000m and women's 5,000m were held earlier this month at the Prefontaine Classic in the United States, where Chebet and her compatriots secured their spots ahead of the main selection event.

The national trials, an invite-only competition held on July 22 across a range of disciplines, began at 7 a.m. local time and lasted seven hours before the final squad was announced.

On the women's side, veterans such as Kipyegon and Chebet will be joined by rising athletes in their early 20s. Kenya's strength in depth has raised hopes for multiple medals and possible podium sweeps.

A key event will be the women's 5,000m. At the Prefontaine Classic, Chebet became the first woman to run under 14 minutes, setting a world record of 13:58.06. She will be joined by defending champion Kipyegon, Agnes Ngetich - the first woman to run a women-only 10km race in under 30 minutes - and Diamond League Monaco winner Margaret Akidor.

Kipyegon, who will also contest the 1,500m, aims for a fourth consecutive world title in the event. Following her recent "Breaking4" challenge, she improved her own world record to 3:48.68 at the Prefontaine Classic. The 31-year-old is set for her eighth World Championships appearance.

The women's 10,000m is another medal target, with Chebet, Ngetich and Janet Chepkemoi named in the squad. Chepngetich, 18, outpaced her more experienced teammates at the trials. "My focus is to work on my finishing speed before Tokyo. We believe as a team we can sweep the podium," she said.

In the women's 3,000m steeplechase, 21-year-old Faith Cherotich brings an impressive record that includes a U20 world title, a Diamond League final win, and an Olympic bronze medal. Her recent personal best of 8:48.71 at the Prefontaine Classic signals strong medal potential.

Defending world 800m champion Mary Moraa will aim to become the first Kenyan woman to win back-to-back titles in the event. In the marathon, Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir will face competition from Ethiopia's London Marathon winner Tigist Assefa.

In the men's events, a new generation of Kenyan athletes born after 2000 will lead the charge in the 800m, 1,500m and 3,000m steeplechase.

A highly anticipated rematch is set between Wanyonyi and Canada's Marco Arop, who edged out the Kenyan for gold in Budapest. "I need to go there to reach the finals. Then any medal for me is good," said Wanyonyi, 20.

In the 1,500m, 18-year-old Phanuel Koech has emerged as a standout. He set a U20 world record of 3:27.72 at the Diamond League meet in Paris, then clocked 3:28.82 to beat reigning world champion Josh Kerr in London. He will team up with U20 world champion Reynold Cheruiyot and 2019 world champion Timothy Cheruiyot.

In the 3,000m steeplechase, U20 world champion Edmund Serem is expected to lead Kenya's challenge to reclaim the event from Morocco's Soufiane El Bakkali. At the trials, Serem clocked 8:38.91 to beat Diamond League final winner Simon Koech and Olympic bronze medalist Abraham Kibiwot. "At the World Championships, we are going to meet with the Olympic champions, world champions, and record holders. Lamecha Girma is there, so it will be a different category. I must be strong both mentally and also in training fitness," he said.

Since the inaugural World Championships in 1983, Kenya has earned 65 gold, 58 silver, and 48 bronze medals, ranking second all-time behind the United States.

Although Kenya won only three women's gold medals (800m, 1,500m and 5,000m) at the last edition, the team heads to Tokyo with renewed optimism, aiming to improve on its performance from the 2015 championships in Beijing, where it topped the medal table.

"The goal is to go one better than 2015, where Kenya topped the medal table in Beijing with seven gold, six silver and three bronze," said Athletics Kenya. ■