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World Champ Kiyeng eyes steeplechase world record in Stockholm

Xinhua, June 3, 2016 Adjust font size:

There are the best training mates, but their quest for excellence and glory will see them take on each other as they target the World steeplechase record in Stockholm on June 16.

Already the city of Stockholm has witnessed three world steeplechase records. On June 16, there could be a fourth.

Ruth Chebet and Hyvin Kiyeng both from Kenya play the leading roles as they both missed the existing record by only one second last Saturday.

Chebet, the Kenyan teenager who started to compete for Bahrain three years ago, became the second woman to break the nine-minute barrier after clearing the 28 barriers that make up the 3000 metres steeplechase.

But World Champion Hyvin Kiyeng was only four hundredths of a second behind her, closing a big gap over the last 150 metres at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, USA.

"The record is important to me and I will do everything to see that I run a fast race," said Kiyeng from Eldoret.

"But everyone will be out for the task and I hope it will inspire us to run faster and by doing so being able to break the world record."

That was a great breakthrough for the reigning World Junior Champion, who qualified for the Beijing World Championships final last year at age 18.

She started the season with a 9:21 personal best time that she lowered to an Asian Record 9:15.98 by winning the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix last month. The new continental record stands at 8:59.97.

Kiyeng grabbed the world title in Beijing last summer in a thrilling finish with four women in less than a second.

In Stockholm she will be pushed by a great field. Olympic silver medallist, Sofia Assefa, of Ethiopia, is unique with four straight World Championships finals.

Kenyan, Virginia Nyambura, secured the Diamond Race last year after wins in Doha, Birmingham and Lausanne as well as podiums in Rome and Monaco.

African Champion, Hiwot Ayalew, won the last Diamond League steeple race in Stockholm two years ago.

Finland' s Jouko Kuha raced to 8:24.2 in 1968. Local hero, Anders Garderud, was the first man to complete a 3000m steeplechase in less than 8:10. He did that in 1975, six days after his first World Record and one year ahead of his Olympic Gold in Montreal, the most recent gold by a Swedish male runner.

Peter Koech recorded the first electronically timed World Record in the event in 1989 when he posted 8:05.35 in Stockholm. Endit