One runner hopes to emulate his older brother’s success as Kenyan athletes race against time to prepare for the 2024 World Athletics U20 Championships, scheduled to take place in Lima, Peru, from August 27 to August 31.
Men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase runner Edmund Serem, who is also the captain of Team Kenya, is eager to follow in the footsteps of his elder brother, Amos Serem, who won a gold medal in the event at the 2021 World Athletics U20 Championships in Nairobi after rising through the junior ranks.
Edmund, alongside his teammate Mathew Kosgei, will compete in the demanding water and obstacles race. In the 2022 championships in Cali, Colombia, Ethiopia’s Samuel Duguna and Samuel Firewu won the gold and silver medals, while Salaheddine Ben Yazide of Morocco claimed the bronze.
Edmund believes Kenya has a strong chance to bring home the gold this year.
Edmund, who also won a silver medal at the African Championships, expressed his determination to partner with his teammate to secure victory. “My brother Amos has been my biggest source of motivation. I was thrilled and inspired when he won the gold at the 2021 World Athletics U20 Championships in Nairobi. I hope that training together will help me achieve similar success,” said Edmund, the eldest of eight siblings.
He is even more motivated to work hard now that his brother has qualified for the Kenyan Olympic team for 2024.
The 18-year-old mentioned that his father, Joseph Serem, an avid athlete himself, played a significant role in inspiring him and his brother Amos to train regularly in the fields of Uasin Gishu County.
“My father always encouraged us to participate in children’s competitions, starting with the Ndalat Gaa Isaiah Kiplagat Memorial Cross Country Championships, Tuskys Cross Country, and Discovery Cross Country Championships. He was passionate about sports, and as we grew older, he pushed us to take on the 3,000-meter steeplechase, which is where we are now,” Edmund explained.
