2015 became the year when Kenya earned gold medals at the 400 meters hurdles and javelin. The sensational winners were Nicholas Bett who had never competed at such a high level before the Championships in Beijing, and Julius Yego who rose to the top level three years before when he reached the Olympic final as the first ever Kenyan thrower.
Bett sprinted to the gold medal in lane eight, shaving his PB by half a second. Yego recorded history’s third longest javelin throw, 92.72 m.
They will be joined in Stockholm’s 1912 Olympic Stadium by competitors in Kenya’s more traditional events. 800 metres World Champion, David Rudisha, will make his first ever appearance in Stockholm at the BAUHAUS-galan.
The World Champion from Kenya competed in Sweden as a teenager winning in a 1:45.10 PB in Malmö, nine years ago. He has also raced in neighbouring Norway, at the Bislett Games, but the last time was during his glorious 2010 season. Stockholm will be his first stop in Scandinavia since then. The stadium record from 1997 is very impressive, 1:41.73.
"I’m looking forward to competing in the Olympic Stadium where Wilson Kipketer equalled Sebastian Coe’s longstanding world record", said Rudisha who broke Kipketer’s world record 13 years later.
Former 1500 meters World Junior Champion and 3000 meters Indoor World Champion, Caleb Ndiku, is familiar with the Swedish capital, home of three of his PB’s. Two years ago the 2015 World Silver 5000m Medallist dipped under 13 minutes and on 16 June he will try to emulate that feat in the 5000 meters race at BAUHAUS-galan.
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BAUHAUS-galan