Edmund Serem: The household dream that runs over excessive obstacles

Edmund Serem: The household dream that runs over excessive obstacles

When Edmund Serem displays on his early days in athletics, his phrases reveal not solely the self-discipline of a younger champion but additionally the deep household bond that formed his path from an early age.

Speaking to Worldathletics.org, the younger Kenyan highlights his father because the driving drive behind his success. “It was always our father’s dream that my brother Amos and I would achieve what he couldn’t when he was younger. He used to tell us: ‘I don’t want you to lack the things I lacked,’” Serem says with heartfelt emotion.  

Fast runner

From the age of eight, Serem would accompany his older brother Amos to coaching periods, typically taking shorter routes however at all times discovering methods to problem him. “He would end up running faster just to catch me before I finished,” Serem remembers with fun. 

This sibling rivalry fuelled them each, even when surprising challenges arose alongside the best way.  “Whenever my brother and I run in the same race, he usually does very well,” says Serem. “I’m not sure if it’s because he doesn’t want me to beat him or because he feels stronger when I’m around, but I always look forward to competing against him.”  

While Amos educated underneath the famend Patrick Sang, Edmund honed his craft at St Patrick’s Iten High School, house of legendary coach Brother Colm O’Connell, the Irishman who arrived in 1976 to show geography for 3 months and went on to grow to be the “godfather of Kenyan athletics”.

But Serem’s progress was initially hampered by the pandemic. “It was frustrating. I couldn’t compete, but I kept training because I knew my chance would come one day,” he explains.  

That dedication paid off when he seized his first massive alternative on the World Athletics Under-20 Championships in Lima, Peru. Following within the footsteps of his brother Amos, who received gold in Nairobi in 2021, Edmund claimed the steeplechase title in South America.

In a race that noticed 12 of the 16 finalists set private bests, Serem led a Kenyan 1-2 alongside Mathew Kosgei in 8:15.28. The time was not solely the world’s quickest by a U20 athlete this 12 months, but additionally the third-fastest ever by a U18 runner. 

Supportive father

Like any champion, Serem’s journey started lengthy earlier than his triumphs on the world stage. He fondly remembers the mornings when his father would take them to native competitions with coaching gear and unwavering enthusiasm. “He would even build hurdles at home so we could practice. He was so meticulous, always finding the safest terrain to avoid injury,” says Serem, talking with deep admiration for his father.  

His father’s dedication and his brother’s instance hold him targeted on what lies forward. “When I run, I’m not just running for myself. I am running for my family and for Kenya. My father reminds me that this is bigger than me,” he says with willpower.

It is a mindset that has made Serem an inspiration to the following technology of Kenyan athletes, one thing the nation’s sporting authorities have already recognised.

Serem just lately attended a gathering with Kenya’s Sports Cabinet Secretary, Onesimus Kipchumba Murkomen, and senior Athletics Kenya officers. Discussions targeted on strategic plans to regain dominance within the 3000m steeplechase, an occasion that Kenya has dominated for almost 5 many years. “They asked us to lead the change. My brother and I are ready for the challenge. We want the world to see Kenya as the powerhouse it has always been,” Serem informed Worldathletics.org.

The street forward will probably be difficult, however Serem’s confidence is plain. After a season of a number of medals and close to qualification for the Olympic crew, he now has his sights set on the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo. “First I have to qualify. It’s step by step. But I know I can go far if I keep working like this,” he says.  

Every morning as he trains in Kaptagat, simply 600 metres from his brother Amos’ camp, Edmund Serem’s story continues to unfold. At simply 16, with a transparent dream and a household legacy pushing him ahead, it’s exhausting to not think about him attaining greatness within the years to come back. And when he does, will probably be the realisation of not simply his dream, however the unwavering perception of a whole household.