• “I am very confident that we are the athletes to restore Kenya’s lost glory in the steeplechase. Soon, Kenya will be back to the helm of the steeplechase event,” Serem said.
• Training under the 1992 Olympic steeplechase silver medallist, Patrick Sang, has been instrumental in the trio’s rise.
Image: HANDOUT
After clinching the World U20 3,000m steeplechase title, Edmund Serem is confident he and silver medallist Mathew Kosgei will spearhead Kenya's resurgence in the water-and-barrier race.
At the World U20 Championships in Lima, Peru, Serem stormed to victory in a World U20 lead of 8:15.28, with Kosgei clocking a personal best of 8:17.46 for second.
Ethiopia’s Hailu Ayalew settled for bronze in 8:24.08.
The 16-year-old followed in the footsteps of his elder brother, Amos Serem, who captured the title in Nairobi in 2021 in 8:30.72.
With both his and Kosgei’s impressive performances in Lima and his brother’s recent international exploits, Serem believes the future of Kenya's steeplechase dominance looks bright.
“I am very confident that we are the athletes to restore Kenya’s lost glory in the steeplechase. Soon, Kenya will be back to the helm of the steeplechase event,” Serem said.
His optimism is fueled by Amos’ close duel with Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali at the Silesia Diamond League last month, where they both clocked 8:04.29, with El Bakkali edging him on a photo finish.
Serem emphasised the potent bond with Kosgei, crediting their shared journey from St. Patrick’s training camp in Iten as a key factor in their success.
“We have come a long way with Kosgei. We met in Form One. At the time I was schooling at St Patrick and Kosgei at Kimuron Secondary but we used to do our training together at St Patrick’s camp,” said Serem.
“At the African Championships, I finished second, and Kosgei was third and now in Lima, I won gold, and he took silver. We’re building something special,” he noted.
At the African Athletics Championships in Douala, Cameroon, Serem clocked 8:21.94 to finish second behind Uganda’s Leonard Chemutai (8:21.30), with Kosgei third in 8:21.98.
Training under the 1992 Olympic steeplechase silver medallist, Patrick Sang, has been instrumental in the trio’s rise.
“I, Kosgei and Amos train under coach Sang, who is a steeplechase legend. He trains us accordingly and shows us the ropes. Our management is also good and we expect better things to come,” he said.
Reflecting on the Lima championships, Serem highlighted the rigorous preparation that helped Kenya secure seven medals.
“The training we underwent before leaving for Lima was sufficient and that is why we were able to come home with seven medals,” he noted.
Kenya ranked fifth with three gold, three silver and a bronze, trailing Jamaica (five medals – four gold, one bronze), China (11 medals – four gold, four silver and three bronze), Ethiopia (10 medals – six gold, two silver and two bronze) and USA (16 medals – eight gold, four silver and four bronze).
As team captain, Serem embraced the pressure, leading the rest of the squad by example.
“Being the captain gave me that extra push. I knew my team was counting on me and I couldn’t let them down,” he noted.
“The competition was tough, but we fought hard. Even those who didn’t win medals walked away with valuable lessons for the future."