Steeplechase champ Chepkoech gets Monaco invite but…
World 3,000m steeplechase champion Beatrice Chepkoech is the latest top Kenyan athlete to receive an invitation to the Monaco Diamond League set for August 14.
The athlete, who turned 29 years a fortnight ago, is currently focusing on training as she remains hopeful she will feature at the Herculis meeting .
Even though this year’s race will not feature as part of the main event after 3,000m steeplechase was dropped from the 2020 Diamond League calendar, Chepkoech insists the meeting is special to her having clocked her world record time of 8:44.32 in 2018 at the venue.
She joins world 5,000m champion Hellen Obiri, world 3,000m steeplechase champion Conseslus Kipruto, world 1,500m winner Timothy Cheruiyot and former world champion Faith Kipyegon as the other Kenyan stars who have received invitations.
Before sporting activities were halted due to the Coronavirus pandemic in March, Chepkoech had just emerged victorious at the World Athletics Indoor Tour meeting in Dusseldorf in February, where she clocked a Kenyan indoor 1,500m record of 4:02.09.
“Running is part of our life, so yes, each and every athlete out there wants to get back to what they love.
It’s our hope that competition will resume soon,” Chepkoech who hails from Bomet County told People Sport.
Having been one of the most vocal athletes to air their displeasure after World Athletics struck steeplechase off the 2020 Diamond League, Chepkoech still mantains this was a bad call.
“There is some solace that steeplechase will be held in select meetings, but it will be outside the 90-minute broadcast window.
But the fact that the event will not be part of the end of the season final is a huge disadvantage,” stated Chepkoech.
She added: “Just like any other event, we want steeplechase to be appealing as well so that athletes can be able to earn well from the event.”
Chepkoech also insists she has no problem scaling upwards or downwards depending on the circumstances, but her worry is mostly for the upcoming athletes who have specialised in steeplechase.
