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The 2024 Kip Keino Classic played a crucial role in shaping the seasons of elite athletes, helping them secure major victories at the Paris Olympic Games and beyond.
The Kip Keino Classic, a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold, is often overlooked but has surely given rise to some of the greatest stars in the world. The 2024 edition of the event saw athletes build upon their great forms to dominate in most of their races including the Paris Olympic Games.
Pulse Sports also observed that some athletes who opened their track seasons at the 2024 edition of the Kip Keino Classic continued their hot streaks and enjoyed great runs to the end of the season.
Letsile Tebogo, Emmanuel Wanyonyi and Kenny Bednarek headline the list of top athletes whose seasons were shaped by their dominance at the Kip Keino Classic.
How the Kip Keino Classic defined the 2024 seasons of 4 elite athletes
1) Letsile Tebogo
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The reigning Olympic 200m champion had a great start to his season but the Kip Keino Classic was a wake-up call for him to take his races seriously. Letsile Tebogo had started his season with a 300m world best at the Curro Podium Final before continuing his winning streak in a series of races in South Africa.
However, his first shocker came at the Kip Keino where just like any other athlete, he wanted to win the 200m but ended up finishing second in the race. Lindsey Courtney narrowly beat the Motswana wunderkind in the hotly contested race.
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Letsile Tebogo then bounced back and did not compromise on any races he competed in after the upset, building up on that to claim top honours in the 200m at the Paris Olympic Games. He also continued the winning streak to a series of Diamond League Meetings and rounded up his season with a second-place finish in Zurich.
2) Mary Moraa
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The reigning world 800m champion is one of the athletes who has benefited from racing at the Kip Keino Classic at the start of the season, which has paid off fully. Mary Moraa claimed top honours racing at the Nyayo National Stadium in her first 800m race of the season.
The Olympic 800m bronze medallist broke the 600m world best and also claimed a bronze at the Olympic Games, finishing third behind Keely Hodgkinson and Tsige Duguma. Healing from her Olympic heartbreak, Mary Moraa went on to claim top honours at the Diamond League Meeting in Lausanne before winning the trophy at the Diamond League Meeting final in Brussels.
3) Kenny Bednarek
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There is no doubt winning the 100m race at the Kip Keino Classic opened doors and boosted the confidence of the American sprinter who asserted authority in a number of his races. Bednarek stunned a strong field, including defending champion Ferdinand Omanyala who faded to a fifth-place finish competing on home soil.
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The 25-year-old went on to qualify for the 100m and 200m at the Olympics after finishing second in the two races at the US Olympic trials. At the Olympics, the American went on to claim the silver medal in the 200m before completing his season with a trophy in the men’s 200m at the Diamond League Meeting final in Brussels.
4) Emmanuel Wanyonyi
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Emmanuel Wanyonyi has been nothing short of astonishing this season and he will be out to extend the winning streak to next season with the World Championships in Tokyo.
Wanyonyi opened his track season with a win in the men’s 800m at the Kip Keino Classic and since then, his season has been defined by fast times and wins. The Kenyan youngster went on to clock a personal best time of 1:41.70 at the Kenyan Olympic trials.
Emmanuel Wanyonyi was not done with his exploits as he lowered his time at the Diamond League Meeting in Paris, clocking 1:41.58 to cross the finish line. At the Olympics, Wanyonyi was stunning as he claimed the gold medal before winning the Diamond League Meeting in Lausanne in the second-fastest time in the history of 800m running (1:41.11). He capped his season with the trophy at the Diamond League Meeting final in Brussels.
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