Road to Paris: Beatrice Chebet, Faith Kipyegon highlight day one of Olympic qualifiers
World 10,000m champion Beatrice Chebet and 1,500m champion Faith Kipyegon are set to clash in the 5,000m race at the Athletics Kenya National trials slated for Nyayo Stadium between June 14-15, 2024.
Both Kipyegon and Chebet will be looking to double in the race at the Olympics setting up a titanic clash in the race which will also include African 10k champion Caroline Nyaga and world record holder Agnes Ng’etich.
First race for Kipyegon
Chebet, the world cross-country champion punched his ticket to Paris after smashing the world record in the women’s 10,000m at the Prefontaine Classic.
Kipyegon who will be running her first race this year will be keen to make it a double ticket when she competes in the 1,500m on Saturday, in a race where she’ll be up against Africa Games champion Mary Ekiru, the 2021 World Under-20 champion Purity Chepkirui and rising star Nelly Chepchirchir. 
Mary Moraa, the world 800m champion will headline the women’s final in the race, in a field that includes her younger sister, Sarah Moraa, Lillian Odira, 2021 shuttle hurdles relay silver medalist Naomi Korir, and Nelly Chepchirchir.
The men’s 1,500m final will also serve action with World Junior record holder Reynold Kipkorir highlighting a start list that includes Olympic silver medalist Timothy Cheruiyot, national champion Mathew Kipsang, and American-based Festus Lagat among other names.
Other finals that will take place include the men’s triple jump, the women’s 400m hurdles, shotput, and the high jump for both categories.
49 athletes have already qualified for the Olympics after they met the qualifying times and the set anti-doping criteria.
The top two finishers in each category will book their place on the plane to Paris with the third representative to be handpicked by a panel of selectors.
Athletics Kenya has also announced that all races will be aired live on the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC).
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