Listen to This Article Enhance your reading experience by listening to this article.

Jacob Krop, Ronald Kwemoi and Edwin Kurgat have qualified for the Olympic Games 5000m final and raised the country’s hopes of winning another gold medal.

Kenya has not won a gold medal in the discipline for over three decades now since John Ngugi did it in the Seoul Olympic Games in 1988.

Krop, a world bronze medallist, Edwin Kurgat a debutant, and national trials winner Ronald Kwemoi claimed their slots in the final after Round 1 heats at the Stade de France that took place on Wednesday, August 7, 2024.

Krop will be fighting for his first medal at the Olympics after failing to be part of the 2020 Tokyo Games contingent. He and Kurgat participated in the first round while their teammate, Kwemoi, was a contestant in the second round.

Krop ended the race in the fourth position timing 14:08.73 with Kurgat finishing third in 14:08.76.

Norway’s Narve Gilje Nordas timed 14:08.16 to claim the first position and the second one went to Ethiopia’s Hagos Gebrhiwet, who finished just two-hundredths of a second later at 14:08.18.

USA will have a contestant in the final after Graham Blanks qualified and he was joined by Hugo Hay from France, and Thomas Fafard from Canada.

Meanwhile, Kwemoi finished in the sixth position after timing 13:52.5. He competed against the medal favourite Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway, who clocked 13:51.59.

Ethiopia’s Biniam Mehary timed 13:51.82 and qualified for the final. Isaac Kimeli, who is representing Belgium clocked in at 13:52.18 to qualify too.

USA’s Grant Fisher, Oscar Chelimo from Uganda, Dawit Seare from Eritrea, and Ethiopia’s Addisu Yihune also qualified.