Kenya’s Abraham Kibiwot secured a bronze medal in the men’s 3000m steeplechase final at the 2024 Paris Olympics, highlighting a strong performance by the nation. Kibiwot finished with a personal best time of 8:06.47, trailing Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali, who won gold with a season best of 8:06.05, and American Kenneth Rooks, who took silver at 8:06.41.

In the men’s 5000m heats, Kenyan runners Edwin Kurgat, Jacob Krop, and Ronald Kwemoi advanced to the final. Krop and Kurgat finished 4th and 5th in Heat One with times of 14:08.73 and 14:08.76, respectively. Kwemoi placed 6th in Heat Two, clocking 13:52.51. Both heats saw dramatic finishes with several runners stumbling and falling, but the Kenyan trio managed to secure their spots in the final.

The men’s 800m heats also saw success for Kenya as Emmanuel Wanyonyi and Wycliffe Kinyamal advanced to the semifinals. Wanyonyi dominated Heat Three, winning with the fastest time of 1:44.64. Kinyamal secured third place in Heat Five with a time of 1:45.86, despite a challenging final sprint.

Koitatoi Kidali, another Kenyan athlete in the 800m, missed an automatic qualification by finishing 5th in Heat Two with a time of 1:45.84. He will have another chance to make the semifinals in the repechage round.

Kenya’s representatives in the 3000m steeplechase, Simon Koech and Amos Serem, had mixed results. Koech, who was in contention for a medal midway through the race, finished 7th with a season-best time of 8:09.26. Serem, who made the final through a referee’s decision after being pushed in the heats, ended up 14th with a time of 8:19.74.