Etyang, Keter cruise to 1500m final at WU20

Kamar Etiang and Vincent Keter fired warning shots to their opponents after sailing through to the men’s 1500m finals at the ongoing World Under-20 Championships.

Taking into the rain-soaked Kasarani Stadium, Keter destroyed his competitors in the first heat where he won the race in 3:42.35 ahead of Ethiopia’s Melkeneh Azize who finished second in 3:44.81 as Abderezak Suleiman of Eritrea placed third in 3:47.8.

Keter, who trains with world 1500m champion Timothy Cheruiyot at the Rongai Athletics Camp has promised Kenyans to deliver a gold medal in the finals slated for Saturday.

“It was a beat easy today since it was only about earning qualification for the finals. My only target in the championships is a gold medal,” said Keter.

The script was the same in the second heat as Etiang dictated the pace of the race to cross the finish line 3:44.75 as Wegene Addisu of Ethiopia placed second in 3:44.86 while Pol Oriach settled for third in 3:49.32.

Etiang who had stunned seasoned athletes to qualify for Tokyo Olympics said he has since moved on since being replaced in the team for the Summer Games having not met the anti-doping requirements.

“I think I have more experience having competed with seniors. I think I can do much better in the finals and my focus is to make Kenyans proud on Saturday,” he said.

The duo will be seeking to defend Kenya’s title won by George Manangoi during the last edition of the Championships held three years ago in Tampere, Finland.