• The 28-year-old clocked 2:00.44 at Nyayo Stadium, trailing Naomi Korir (1:59.72), Sarah Moraa (1:59.39), Mary Moraa (1:59.35) and Lilian Odira (1:59.27).
• Chebet is confident that strategic adjustments at the Nyayo Stadium training camp will lead Kenya to a podium sweep.
Image: TEDDY MULEI
Vivian Chebet reckons a fast start and powerful finish will be key in reaching the 800m final at next month's Paris Olympics.
“My focus is on my reaction and finishing power. Once I get these right before the Olympics, I have no doubt I’ll make the final,” Chebet said.
Chebet faced an anxious wait until the June 30 Olympic qualification deadline to know her fate after finishing fifth in the trials on June 14.
The 28-year-old clocked 2:00.44 at Nyayo Stadium, trailing Naomi Korir (1:59.72), Sarah Moraa (1:59.39), Mary Moraa (1:59.35) and Lilian Odira (1:59.27).
Missing the top three spots left her Olympic dreams in limbo, with Athletics Kenya (AK) holding out for Sarah Moraa to meet the 1:59.30 qualifying mark.
When Moraa failed, Chebet's earlier performance at the Kip Keino Classic (1:58.26) beat Korir's 1:59.19, securing her an Olympic debut.
Chebet joins world champion Mary Moraa and Odira on the team to Paris.
“I was thrilled to make the team. It is a dream come true. I need to train hard and make the most of this golden opportunity,” she said.
Chebet is confident that strategic adjustments at the Nyayo Stadium training camp will lead Kenya to a podium sweep.
“We have been training together for almost two weeks. We have worked on some tactics to ensure smooth sailing into the final,” Chebet stated.
She expects her experience at previous championships, especially the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, to come in handy in Paris.
“I have faced top athletes before and I believe that experience will help me in Paris,” she pointed out.
In Budapest, Chebet crashed in the qualifying rounds after clocking 2:01.26 for fourth place in Heat 1.
She is an African Games bronze medallist from Accra, Ghana, on March 19, where she timed 2:00.27.
She placed fourth at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, clocking 2:03.76.
Other notable performances include a second-place finish at the Stockholm Diamond League (1:58.64) and victories at the Orlen Janusz Kusocinski Memorial (1:59.45) in Poland and the Montreuil meeting in France (1:59.76).
Training alongside top athletes has been key to her career.
“I train with Cornelius Tuwei, Benjamin Kigen and Laban Chepkwony. They have inspired me a lot and always push me to new heights,” she said.
Kigen is an Olympic 3,000m steeplechase bronze medallist while Tuwei is the 2019 African silver medallist.