After years of near misses and heartbreaks, 2022 African 800m silver medallist Nicholas Kebenei is finally set to make his long-awaited debut on the global stage, determined to leave a mark at the World Championships in Tokyo this September.
The 30-year-old is in a strong three-man squad alongside Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi and Kelvin Loti.
Kebenei punched his Tokyo ticket after winning the two-lap race at the Kenyan World Championships trials on July 22 at Ulinzi Sports Complex, clocking 1:43.54.
Loti followed in 1:43.90 while Alex Ng'eno finished third in 1:44.90.
His dominant run at the trials marked a breakthrough moment for the endurance-built runner, who has been chasing his World Championship debut since 2017.
"I started trying to make the World Championship team in 2017, and I am proud I have finally made it," Kebenei stated.
He noted that perseverance and patience have been key.
"It has been a tough journey but I am just thankful I had the strength to pull it off at the trials," he said. "We have to make our nation proud in Tokyo. We have to bring home the 800m medals."
He aims to sharpen his pace and go sub-1:42 in the build-up to the championships.
"I got a time of 1:43, which to me is perfect, but I want to lower that to around 1:41 before the World Championships," he added.
The men’s 800m has become one of the hottestly contested events globally, and Kebenei knows he’ll need to blend tactical intelligence with speed to upstage the best in Tokyo.
"The 800m is currently such a hectic event, but I knew with preparations I would make it," he said.
Kebenei’s 2025 campaign has shown glimpses of brilliance.
He opened his campaign on April 12 at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix, placing sixth in 1:46.57.
Botswana's Kethobogile Haingura (1:44.18) and Tsepiso Masalela (1:44.77) claimed first and second place, with Laba Chepkwony (1:45.38) completing the podium in that race.
Kebenei, however, bounced back a month later at the UAE Grand Prix, winning in 1:45.38 ahead of India's Mohammed Pulikkalakath (1:45.62) and South Africa's Christopher Swart (1:45.84).
On May 31, Kebenei clocked 1:43.75 for a second-place finish at the Kip Keino Classic, trailing American Jonah Koech (1:43.32).
He carried that momentum into the Kenya Defence Forces championships, clocking 1:48.60 for another second-place finish.
In his Diamond League opener in Paris, however, Kebenei produced a sub-par performance, finishing 12th in 1:45.03.
His most recent international outing was in Ostrava, where he clocked 1:44.37 to place fourth.
