NAIROBI, Kenya, August 10, 2026 – Newly-crowned World Under 20 champion Wilson Chepkwech has credited his high school coach for making him the world beater he is today.
The 16-year-old says his coach pushed him hard in training, efforts that bore fruit at the global showpiece in Oregon on Sunday night.
“I am very grateful that I won this championship and I thank my coach at school for supporting and pushing me to be able to become a champion. I am very happy to have won in the USA at these championships,” the Kimuron Secondary School student said.
Chepkwech clocked a personal best (PB) of 3:37.46 in the men’s 1500m to win his first title of his career on the final day of the competition.
Fellow Kenyan, David Kapaiko Sekento, clinched silver after timing 3:38.32 in second, ahead of Moroccan Osama Er Redouani who ran 3:39.68 to take bronze in third — both athletes clocking PBs.
The latest victory continued what has been an unblemished start to life for Chepkwech as an athlete.
He has won all his races thus far, including the Kip Keino Classic in April during which he clocked 1:46.33 to win the men’s Under 20 men’s 800m.
Meanwhile, Sekento admitted Sunday’s race was not for the faint-hearted.
“It was not easy to get here but I thank our coaches for supporting us very well and we are so happy. Now we are the winners in the 1500 meters. It was not easy but we dug deep and worked hard,” he said.
With their first medals in the bag, Chepkwech and Sekento will be hoping to follow the same path trodden by fellow countrymen who have gotten their big break in past editions of the same competition.
