Rising star Mercy Chepng’eno spelling hope for Kenya’s steeplechase

16-year-old Mercy Chepng’eno is on the right path toward becoming the future of the country’s 3000m steeplechase.

The youngster who schools at Lesirwo Secondary School in Kericho has made significant strides in the sport.

Her performance during the Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association (KSSSA) games speaks volumes about her potential.

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She won the 3000m SC during the regionals held at Kapsabet Boys High School. That remarkable run propelled her to fame, causing a sensation across social media platforms.

Her fearless determination captured the hearts of viewers countrywide, including Sports Cabinet Secretary (CS) Ababu Namwamba who was moved to support her and her training partners by gifting them with much-needed training gear.

She then proceeded to the nationals, where she defied the odds to come in at position three.

In an exclusive interview with Mozzart Sport, the youngster noted that the setback would only motivate her to train harder and conquer global heights.

Her short stature seemed to momentarily throw off her rhythm when she dove into the steeplechase water, resulting in a slight discoordination. She, however, overcame the hurdle to regain her speed and complete the podium.

“The competition was okay, but I dove into the water, and my energy vanished. I wanted to be in position one, but I could not come out of the water on time, so I became in position three,” the soft-spoken Chepng’eno offered.

The prodigy started running the discipline in seventh grade while at Lesirwo Primary School. Despite her young age, she reached the regional stage but did not lose hope. Her parents, Benard and Gladys Kosgei have been supportive of her journey so far.

She aims to run like Faith Cherotich in the future. At the age of 19, her role model is a senior world medalist in the 3000m steeplechase and reigning world U20 champion. She was also the women’s World Athletics Rising Star awardee for 2023.

“I watch her every day. I love how she runs so well. When I grow up, I want to be like her,” Chepng’eno offered.

While in school, she hones her skills under the close watch of coach Leonard Kibet. During the holidays, Chepng’eno trains at the Les'sap Athletics Training Camp under the tutelage of coach Nicholas Rono. She was grateful to her coaches for walking the journey with her.

According to coach Bett, who also doubles up as a teacher at Lesirwo Secondary, Chepng’eno is a fast learner and the future of Kenya in the steeplechase.

“She is a very good student and a very fast learner when it comes to training. We trained her for less than two weeks in our school, and she was able to perform very well and proceeded to the nationals,” Bett averred.

On what led to her third-place finish in Machakos, Bett said, “She jumped into the water, and it got into her nose. That caused her to have difficulties running. But she came in at position three.”

He was confident that the new crop of runners like Chepng’eno would reclaim the country’s lost glory in the 3000m steeplechase.

“We have a very bright future. She has the potential. We have around five of them who are equally competitive. I know that in the next two or three years, we will have many athletes competing in steeplechase,” he concluded.

On his side, Les’sap camp’s owner and coach Rono tipped Chepng’eno to achieve greatness in her running career, noting that she was a star in the making.

“We started well with her in January, and she was doing well. When we went to the regionals, she ran barefoot. We also want to thank the CS, who saw her running barefoot and came to the school to give her training kits. She is now in a good position to run using training shoes,” Rono said.