The 2023 World junior cross country bronze medallist, Pamela Kosgei, has exuded confidence ahead of her senior international debut at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo next month.
Kosgei is part of Kenya's 3,000m steeplechase trio alongside Olympic bronze medallist Faith Cherotich and NCAA steeplechase champion Doris Lemngole.
A product of Kenya's rich junior ranks, Kosgei first wore the national colours at the 2022 World U-20 Championships in Cali, Colombia, where she finished fifth in the steeplechase in 10:06.46.
That race was dominated by her now-teammate Cherotich, who stormed to gold in 9:16.14, ahead of Ethiopians Sembo Almayew (9:30.41) and Meseret Yeshaneh (9:42.02). Now, with her ticket to Tokyo secured, Kosgei is determined to leave a mark on her senior debut.
Her eyes are set on refining her speed as she prepares for the tactical and physical demands of global competition. "I want to maintain a constant training regimen. My main focus will be on improving my speed," Kosgei said. She further hopes to have a sit-down with her coach to formulate an effective tactic for the Tokyo showpiece. "I will sit down with my coach and see which areas of my race need improvement."
Kosgei’s confidence is buoyed by a stellar run of form in 2025. She kicked off the season with a string of Indoor victories, clocking 4:36.70 in the Mile at the Dr. Martin Luther King Invitational, followed by 4:39.91 in the same event at the Mountain West Championships.
She also bagged Indoor wins in the 3,000m (9:08.28) and 5,000m (15:54.72) at the Mountain West men's and women's championships. Her dominance extended outdoors with an impressive distance double at the NCAA Championships in June.
She stormed to a 5,000m victory in 15:33.96 ahead of Sweden’s Vera Sjoberg (15:34.77) and American Sophia Kennedy (15:35.08), before returning to win the 10,000m in 31:17.82, fending off Grace Hartman (31:32.15) and fellow Kenyan Joy Naukot (31:34.34). Despite her success in the flat long-distance races, Kosgei admits the return to the water and barrier event at the national trials was a jolt.
"It feels good to have competed in steeplechase after a while, but it was also so hard. It was very hard because of the altitude," she noted. Her tactic was to stay within striking distance of Cherotich and Lemngole. "My tactic was to stay close with Faith and Lemngole, and even if they open a gap, I did not want it to be too big."
