The 2017 World Cross Country bronze medallist Lilian Kasait has vowed to stamp authority in the women’s 10000m at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Kasait confirmed her seat on the flight to the French capital with a brilliant performance at the Prefontaine Diamond Classic meet in Oregon, USA, last week, where she clocked 29:26.89 to finish third.
The blistering race at Eugene’s Hayward Field saw compatriot Beatrice Chebet storm to the title in a world record time of 28 minutes, and 54.14 seconds, ahead of Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia, who timed 29:05.92.
Chebet shattered the previous record of 29.01.03 set by Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey at FBK Stadium in the Netherlands on June 8, 2021.
In an exclusive interview on Friday, Kasait vowed to improve her performance at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, where she fizzled out to a disappointing 12th-place finish.
“I’m glad to be back and I’m promising a better race. I believe I’ve trained well and my entire body is in good shape,” Kasait said.
“My goal is to finish on the podium. I had a lot of fans in Tokyo but my performance wasn’t what I had hoped for. I learned a lot , which I will use in the hunt for improved results in Paris.”
Kasait, 26, underscored the need for teamwork, saying the country stands to accomplish a podium sweep with proper coordination.
“We have a good team in the 5000m and we believe we can achieve a lot if we work together. We are eager to make Kenya proud,” Kasait said.
She heads to the competition on the back of a strong performance at the World Cross Country Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, where she bagged the silver medal, behind Chebet.
Margaret Chelimo completed a Kenyan podium sweep.
“Winning the medal meant a lot to me. It was an inspiring performance as I prepare for the Paris Games,” Kasait added.
“I believe I have what it takes to emulate this performance in Paris and I’m determined to do so.”
Kasait has impressive credentials including the 3000m World Under-18 title and the World U20 Championships silver medal.
Her rise to fame began in 2013 when she beat Ethiopia’s Berhan Demiesa to bag the gold medal at the 2013 World Youth Championships.
The following year she placed fifth in the junior race at the African Cross Country Championships.
