Kenya reaffirmed its supremacy in track on Monday night by dominating the men’s 3,000m steeplechase at the 2026 Commonwealth Games as Edmund Serem led his compatriots in a 1-2-3 finish in Glasgow, Scotland.
Teenage sensation Edmund Serem stormed to victory, crossing the line in 8:18.23, with Simon Koech bagging a silver medal in 8:18.59, as Leonard Kipkemoi Bett completed the all-Kenyan podium sweep with a bronze in 8:21.63.
Speaking after his win, Serem reflected on his victory: “Today I’m very happy, because I won my first gold medal at the Commonwealth Games. I know my family and all the 55 million Kenyans are proud of me, and it’s a great way to end the night. Actually, I didn’t expect to win, because the field was very strong, having a world champion in the race and also Simon Koech, who has managed a sub-eight minutes this season, running 7:59. I can say I’ve done well and I would like to thank my father, who kept on calling me all the time today, preparing me for the race.”
For the bronze medalist Leonard Kipkemoi Bett, standing on the Commonwealth podium marked the culmination of a gruelling journey back to global athletics.
“First of all, winning a global medal—a bronze medal in the Commonwealth Games—it’s been two years of injuries, back-to-back injuries in 2024 and 2025. Now in a podium position, I’m happy for that,” Bett said.
“During that time, I managed to achieve becoming a software developer, and now coming back to serious training and racing again at the global level. I dedicate this win to my family and all those who were at my back.”
Earlier in the evening, Diana Wanza claimed Kenya’s second silver medal of the Games in a dramatic women’s 10,000m final.
Wanza, 27, set a relentless pace from the start and looked set to claim gold. However, Australia’s Rose Davies launched a surprise surge with two laps remaining, surging ahead to steal victory in a season-best 31:39.32, ahead of Wanza (31:50.13). Fellow Kenyans Miriam Chebet 32:12.97 and Rebecca Mwangi (32:36.12) placed seventh and 10th.
“I executed my race the way I had planned, and I was shocked to see the Australian emerge from nowhere, with two laps to go,” Wanza said following her race. “At this point I told myself I could not give up, because I knew that the rest were still coming and any psychological breakdown could have cost me a medal. I want to thank God, and I’m very happy.”
In other action, Janet Jepkemoi safely progressed to the semi-finals of the women’s 800m race after finishing third in Heat 1 with a time of 2:02.30, while in the men’s Long Jump, 31-year-old Isaac Kirwa Yego advanced to the semi-final stage after jumping 7.63m to place sixth in Group A qualification.
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