The 2023 African 800m champion Aaron Cheminingwa hopes to dip under the 1:44.50 entry standard for the Tokyo 2025 World Championships at the Xiamen Diamond League in China on April 26.
China will kick off the 14-leg Diamond League series, with Xiamen hosting the first stop before the Yangtze River Delta Athletics Diamond Gala on May 3.
The series will culminate in the finals in Zurich on August 27-28.
The 26-year-old’s best mark is 1:42.08 from a fourth-place finish at the Paris Diamond League on July 7, 2024.
However, that performance falls outside the World Championships qualification window — August 1- 24.
“I will run at the Diamond League in China to chase the World Championships time and also try to lower my personal best. That will boost my chances of making Team Kenya to Tokyo,” Cheminingwa said.
Determined to secure his first global championship appearance, Cheminingwa is leaving nothing to chance after narrowly missing out on the 2024 Paris Olympics despite having met the qualifying standard.
“After failing to make the team to Paris, I decided to put more focus on my training and improving my speed ahead of the 2025 season,” he noted.
At the Kenyan Olympic trials on June 14 at Nyayo Stadium, he clocked 1:44.51—inside the Olympic standard of 1:44.70.
However, he was fifth while only the top three were guaranteed automatic selection.
These were Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi ( 1:41.70 ), Wycliffe Kinyamal ( 1:42.50 ) and Koitatoi Kidali ( 1:42.66 ).
Cheminingwa opened his 2025 campaign with a dominant display, securing the 2km loop title at the Nairobi Region Cross Country Championships with a 5:38.4 finish ahead of Larry Merin ( 5:43.5 ) and Obadia Kipleting ( 5:45.6 ).
He was thankful for kicking off 2025 with a commanding victory stating; “I thank God for the win because this was my first race of the year.”
Before the Diamond League season, however, he will gauge his form at the National Cross Country Championships set for February 8 in Eldoret.
“I will run the Nationals and see how my body responds.”
Having previously served as a pacesetter for world 800m champion Mary Moraa under coach Alex Sang, Cheminingwa has now shifted his focus to building his own legacy.
“In running, you have to evolve
at some point and chase your
career on the track as well as get
even faster times,” he noted.
