THE KIP KEINO CLASSIC WOMEN'S 1500M EVENT WAS A KENYAN AFFAIR WITHOUT FAITH.

It appears that Purity Chepkirui will have an easy time winning the women's 1500m at the Kip Keino Classic this year, as Faith Kipyegon, the double-world record holder, is away.

After a brilliant performance at the World Cross Country Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, where she finished in the top four in the mixed relay 2 km event with Reynold Cheruiyot, Kyumbe Munguti, and Virginia Nyambura, the 21-year-old is glowing with confidence.

Chepkirui has participated in the Kip Keino Classic before, placing 12th in her World Continental Tour Gold event debut in 2021. The next year, she didn't do much better, finishing in 10th place with a time of 4:10.77.

However, the 2021 World Under-20 1500m champion is the favorite to win the event this year, which pits Kenya against Ethiopia.

New phenomenon Mary Nyaruai, who gained international attention last month after winning bronze in the women's 1,500m at the African Games in Accra, Ghana, will fly the national flag with Chepkirui.

In an attempt to atone for her disappointment at not finishing in the women's 5,000m at the Kip Keino Classic the previous year, Ekiru would go on her redemption trip.

Edinah Jebitok is another Kenyan to keep an eye on since she has a talent for rising from setbacks to win big in her next races.

The silver medallist in the World U-20 1500m in 2018 did not qualify for Team Kenya for the World Cross Country Championships, but on March 17, he rallied to win the Lille 5km race in France.

Her best-ever performance at the Kip Keino Classic was a third-place result in 2022, and she plans to improve on that result this year.

Lydia Lagat, who placed fourth in the previous event, will likewise be aiming to make her first podium appearance this year in the fifth edition. Lagat placed fourth in the African Games women's 1500-meter race.

Little-known players make up the Ethiopian team, which will aim to steal a victory on Saturday to send a message over "enemy territory." Asayech Admasu, Dhabi Dube, and Martha Alemayehu are a few of them. The starting lineup is completed by Mohamed Kadra Dembil of Djibouti and Nowel Cheruto of Uganda.