After clinching a silver medal at the African Senior Championships in Douala, Cameroon, Edmund Serem is now focusing on the men's 3,000m steeplechase title at the World Under-20 Championships set for August 27-31 in Lima, Peru.
Serem clocked 8:21.94 to secure silver in Douala, behind Uganda's Leonard Chemutai (8:21.30) and ahead of Compatriot Mathew Kosgei (8:21.98).
Making a maiden appearance at the Championships, the 16-year-old is determined to add a gold medal to his growing collection.
"I want to win gold in my maiden appearance at the World U20 Championships. I know it will not be easy but I am determined," Serem stated.
He believes his performance in Cameroon will serve as a powerful motivator for the challenge ahead in Peru.
"Winning a silver medal at the African Senior Championships will be highly motivational for me in Peru," he added.
At the World U20 trials held at Nyayo Stadium, Serem secured his spot on Team Kenya by winning the event in 8:34.76. The qualifying mark of 9:02.00.
Kosgei followed closely in second place in 8:36.62 while Ezekiel Pitireng (8:44.46) completed the podium.
The top two finishers, Serem and Kosgei, earned their tickets to the championships in Peru.
Reflecting on the trials, Serem admitted he was unsure of his performance due to fatigue from the just concluded African Championships.
"I am grateful for booking a slot for the World U20. I was just from the African Championships in Cameroon. I had just a one-day rest before taking part in the trials so I was fatigued. I was not sure I would perform well," Serem said.
Serem is confident of a Kenya 1-2 finish at the U20 championships. "We talked before the trials with Kosgei and encouraged each other to ensure we made the team."
"Now that we have booked our tickets, expect a Kenyan 1-2 finish in Peru," Serem added.
Serem also hopes to follow in the footsteps of his older brother, Amos Serem, who won the title at the 2021 edition at Moi Stadium Kasarani with a time of 8:30.73.
Ethiopia's Tadese Takele (8:33.15) and compatriot Simon Koech (8:34.79) sealed the podium at the championships.
In contrast, the 2022 edition in Cali, Colombia, saw Kenya fall short, with Ethiopia's Samuel Duguna (8:37.92) and Samuel Firewu (8:39.11) taking gold and silver with Morocco's Salaheddine Ben Yazide (8:40.62) settling for bronze.
Serem believes involving legendary steeplechasers in junior camp will help Kenya dominate in Peru.
"We need to put more work into training as well as get experienced athletes such as Ezekiel Kemboi and Richard Mateelong to impart their knowledge on us juniors," he added.
Kemboi is a two-time Olympic champion and a four-time world champion whereas Mateelong is an Olympic bronze medallist.
Serem hopes to work on his technique over the barrier as well as improve his speed.
"I want to work on my speed, endurance and my clearance on the barriers. If I get it right, I have no doubt I will clinch the title," Serem stated.
Kosgei echoed Serem's confidence in a dominant Kenyan performance in Peru.
"We will have teamwork in Peru to ensure we clinch 1-2. Now we just have to go back to training and ensure we are ready for the task ahead," Kosgei stated.
Kosgei also highlighted areas for improvement, focusing on building endurance and refining his barrier technique.
"I want to work on my speed build endurance and work on my barrier technique," Kosgei noted.