Beatrice Chepkoech runs 1500m Personal Best in Poland

Beatrice Chepkoech continued her preparation for the upcoming Paris Olympic Games in epic fashion at the Orlen Copernicus Cup in Poland on Tuesday night, February 6, 2024.

Chepkoech ran a Personal Best (PB) of 4:07.17 to finish fifth in the 1500m race with Ethiopians managing a clean podium sweep.

Freweyni Hailu clocked a world lead time of 3:55.28 to win the race ahead of compatriots Welteji Diribe and Hirut Meshesha. Diribe and Meshesha also ran the race of their lives, posting personal best times of 3:55.47 and 3:56.47 respectively.

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The sixth-place position went to Uganda's former 800m world champion Halimah Nakaayi, who stopped her stopwatch at 4:02.78 which was also her personal best.

Chepkoech usually takes part in the 3000m steeplechase race but she had revealed to SportPesa News during the third Athletics Kenya (AK) track and field meet held recently in Nairobi that she was going to use a couple of races to enhance speed with her eyes fully focused on the Olympic Games.

The 32-year-old’s aim in the games, which starts in late July, is to win a gold medal for Kenya and also enter her name in history books as one of the greatest runners in the discipline.

Her 3,000m steeplechase world record which she set in 2018 at the Herculis Meet in 2018 stands at 8:44.32.

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Besides Chepkoech, other Kenyans who have already started their season include African 100m record holder Ferdinand Omurwa Omanyala, Mark Otieno, Emmaculate Anyango, Agnes Jebet Ngetich and Daniel Ebenyo Simiu.

Some of the other big names like the reigning 1500m world record holder Faith Kipyegon, Eliud Kipchoge and Kelvin Kiptum are yet to compete in 2024.

Kipchoge, who is a multiple Berlin Marathon winner, is slated to open his campaign at the Tokyo Marathon on March 3 while his rival Kiptum will be in Rotterdam in April 13 as they both attempt to become first human beings to run a race under two hours. 

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