World Under-20 3,000m champion Edmund Serem will be hoping to replicate his elder brother's (Amos Serem) heroics from Brussels last year when he lines up for the 2025 Zurich Diamond League final.
Last year, Amos pulled out a surprise victory at the Brussels Diamond League final, clinching the trophy in 8:06.90. He outkicked double Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali of Morocco, who placed second in 8:08.60 and Tunisia's Mohamed Amin Jhinaoui (8:09.68).
With Amos sidelined by a leg injury, Edmund now shoulders the responsibility of keeping the crown in the Serem household. Amos suffered a leg injury earlier this year during the Athletics Kenya track and field weekend meeting in Kapsabet in June, which has kept him out of competition for the rest of the year.
The youngster heads into Zurich buoyed by a stellar campaign that has underlined his emergence as one of the event’s rising forces. Serem made his maiden Diamond League appearance on April 26 in Xiamen, stopping the clock in 8:08.50 to place fourth.
Ethiopia's Samuel Firewu (8:05.61), El Bakkali (8:06.66) and Simon Koech (8:07.12) completed the podium. He upgraded his position at the second meeting in Shanghai, clocking 8:08.68 for second place just behind Ethiopia's Abrham Sime (8:07.92). Koech clocked 8:09.05 to place third in that race.
He lowered his personal best in his third meeting in Rabat, clocking 8:07.47 to finish third behind El Bakkali (8:00.70) and Germany's Frederick Ruppert (8:01.49). On May 31, Serem took time off the Diamond League circuit to feature at the Kip Keino Classic, on home turf and in front of the home crowd.
In that race, the teenage sensation clocked 8:27.68 to claim victory, outkicking Ethiopian's Dinka Fikadun (8:27.97) and Gemechu Godana (8:31.82). He returned to the Diamond League circuit in July, clocking a lifetime best of 8:04.00 in Monaco to place third. El Bakkali (8:03.18) and Japan's Ryuji Miura (8:04.00) placed first and second, respectively.
Serem's most recent race was at the World Championship trials on July 22, where he secured his spot in his first global senior competition by clocking 8:38.91 for first place. Serem highlighted the Diamond League races as a perfect tune-up ahead of his maiden World Championship appearance next month.
"I am using the Diamond League races to sharpen my endurance and barrier clearance before the World Championships," Serem said at the national trials. Heading into the Zurich showdown, the teenager will be buoyed by the fact that he leads the men's steeplechase standings with 24 points. ElBakkali is breathing down his neck on 23 points, whereas Firewu sits third with 19 points. In Zurich, Serem will go toe-to-toe with Tunisia's Jhinaoui and Germany's Ruppert.
