World Under-20 1,500m record holder Phanuel Koech believes training alongside Olympic 800m champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi has sharpened his edge for a medal charge at the World Championships in Tokyo.
The 18-year-old prodigy will spearhead Kenya’s men’s 1,500m assault alongside 2019 world champion Timothy Cheruiyot and 2022 World U-20 gold medallist Reynold Cheruiyot. Koech, who has enjoyed a breakthrough 2025 campaign, credits his stellar rise to the intensity of sessions with Wanyonyi.
In his most recent race at the Zurich Diamond League final on August 28, Koech powered to a 3:30.02 finish to place third. The Netherlands' Niels Laros (3:29.20) and Reynold (3:29.91) secured first and second place.
"My training-mate, Wanyonyi, has helped me a lot. Training with him has helped me improve my running," Koech said after his race in Zurich. He reckons that his flying form throughout his 2025 campaign will push him for a podium finish in Tokyo. "I am confident I can at least secure a podium finish in Tokyo," he added.
Despite his confidence, the 18-year-old acknowledged the complexity of stepping up to the global stage. “The World Championships will be another new experience for me, but I believe I have the potential to earn a medal," he told World Athletics.
“I know the kind of experienced runners I’ll be competing with there, like Kerr and Cole Hocker, the Olympic champion. But I don’t feel intimidated in any way, as I know the training I’ve done and the advice I’ve received will be enough to achieve good results in Tokyo. I’ll just take it one round at a time," he added. Koech has been a revelation throughout this season.
He opened his campaign with the national Cross Country Championships on February 22, placing second (6:02) in the 2km loop race, narrowly behind Reynold (6:01). He followed that up with a fourth-place finish (3:56.08) in the Mile at the Adidas Adizero Road to Records event in Germany on April 26.
On June 8, he cruised to a 3:32.26 victory at the Lucca international meeting in Italy, leading Britain's Archie Davis (3:35.63) and Algeria's Omar Seraich (3:39.65). 12 days later, he made his maiden Diamond League appearance in Paris, where he placed second in 3:27.72 to set a new U-20 world record.
On June 24, he won at the Ostrava meeting in the Czech Republic, crossing the finish line in 3:29.05. It was, however, during the London Diamond League meeting on July 19 that Koech announced himself as a serious contender on the global stage.
In that race, he stopped the clock in 3:28.82, beating Olympic silver medallist Josh Kerr (3:29.37) and Portugal's Isaac Nader (3:31.55). Koech reckons that his performance in London announced his entry into the senior level.
“While I value the world record I ran in Paris, which will stay in the history books as a great moment in my career, beating Josh Kerr at the London Diamond League was a greater moment for me as it shows the potential I have and that I am now able to compete against senior athletes," he told World Athletics.
