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Faltering. There is no other way to describe Kenya's dominance in this event. In 15 of the 16 championship editions, the first man to cross the finish line was wearing the black, red and green colors of the country. In 10 of these races, Kenya won gold and silver. The only certainty right now is that there will be no repetition of it – simply because Central East Africa has, surprisingly, entered a single athlete in the event.
So the pressure to add to this steadfast series of 15 in a row – the only title lost by Kenya in the inaugural edition in 1986 – falls firmly on the shoulders of 17-year-old Leonard Kipkemoi Bett , who won the World Under-18 Championship title. Bett climbed admirably for the longest time, clocking 8: 21.40 to win Kenya Labyrinth Month, the second fastest U20 performance in the world this year. Given the elevation of 1795m above sea level in Nairobi, it's an impressive performance, which places him as a man to beat in Tampere.
But he will have his hands full in what appears to be a three-way battle. 19659002] The world's under-20 champion is Ugandan Albert Chemutai, who has already played at the age of 18 in a final final at the World Championships – he was 10th in London last year in a PB 8: 23.18 – and has become a regular on the global circuit. Fifth at the Commonwealth Games in April in 8: 19.89, he produced impressive performances in the IAAF Diamond League competition, finishing sixth in Doha and Rome at 8: 18.80 and 8: 17.17 in both races. In his last appearance, he clinched his first career victory at the IAAF World Challenge, imposing in Madrid in 8: 22.31. Few competitors meeting in Tampere this week will bring this kind of high level experience to the starting line.
Getnet Wale, the elite man from Ethiopia
Wale won bronze in Bydgoszcz two years ago. The championships end in London the following summer when he finishes ninth, 0.66 in front of the Ugandan. Leading in London, he ran to Hengelo in 8: 12.28, making him the fastest man in the Tampere championship. And he will not be 18 years old until July 16th – the day after the end of the championships.
His teammate Takele Nigate, African Under-20 champion with 8: 35.53 this year, could be a factor of the medal. As did Morocco's Mohamed Er Rachdi, who clocked a time of 8: 40.62 this season, with 22 seconds ahead of his best time before 2018.
Bob Ramsak for the IAAF
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