Ethiopia's Gudaf Tsegay Seeks 10,000 Meters World Record; Kenya To Use Pre Classic To Select Team

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

The U.S. Olympic Team Trials are still a month away. 

But Hayward Field will be home of the Kenyan Olympic Trials, at least in the 10,000 meters, on Saturday morning before the Diamond League's Prefontaine Classic begins at 1 p.m. 

At stake are Olympic team berths for one of the world's most successful distance running nations. 

There are a couple of reasons for Kenya to hold its national team selection races in Eugene. 

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The timing works out so that the athletes who make the team will have two months to prepare for the Paris Olympic Games. 

And the conditions are more ideal for giving the athletes a chance to run fast and meet the stiff Olympic qualifying standards -- 27:00 for men and 30:40 for women. Kenya's capital city, Nairobi, sits at nearly 6,000 feet altitude. 

The Pre Classic also helped Kenya sort out its Olympic team spots in the 10,000 in 2012.

“Even if we were to hold the trials in the country, getting someone to qualify at altitude is next to impossible,” Athletics Kenya Director of Youth Affairs Barnaba Korir said in a People's Daily post.

The races include 13 Kenyan men and 15 women who have attained qualifying times and also met the country's anti-doping requirements. 

 The men's lineup includes last year's World Championships silver medalist Daniel Simiu Ebenyo and 2022 World Championships silver medalist Samuel Waithaka. Another contender is former world half marathon world record holder Kibiwott Kandie.

Gudaf Tsegay adds additional flavor to the women's race. She broke the world record in the 5,000 meters last September at Hayward Field, when the Prefontaine Classic also served as the Diamond League final. She ran a time of 14:00.21. 

World cross country champion Beatrice Chebet is perhaps the favorite among the contingent. World road running 5,000-meter silver medalist Lilian Kasait and 2022 World Championships bronze medalist Margaret Chelimo Kipkemboi also bring elite global credentials to Saturday's race. 

The women's race is scheduled for 10:50 a.m. Pacific, while the men take on the track at 12:05 p.m.