- Phanuel Koech overcame a deep field to win the 1500m race at the London Diamond League 2025 on Saturday, July 19.
- Koech finished ahead of the reigning world champion Josh Kerr of Great Britain and Portugal’s Isaac Nader.
- Koech is expected to fight for a ticket to the Tokyo World Athletics Championships 2025 at the AK trials that is scheduled for Tuesday, July 22 at the Ulinzi Sports Complex.
Phanuel Koech has once again proved that he has what it takes to take on the big boys in the competitive track field.
Koech, who trains with the likes of Emmanuel Wanyonyi at the 2 Running Club in Kapsabet, Nandi County, produced a thrilling performance at the London Diamond League 2025 to clinch the coveted 1500m title.
He made an aggressive move in the final stages of the race that had experienced runners such as Josh Kerr and Elliot Giles.
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Phanuel Koech breaks 1500m London Diamond League meeting record
The 18-year-old went on to cross the finishing line in a new London Diamond League meeting record time of 3:28.82.
Koech was followed by Great Britain’s Kerr, who clocked a season best time of 3:29.27, while the third position went to Portugal’s Isaac Nader.
Nadeer crossed the finishing line in 3:31.55 to finish ahead of Jake Wightman, Jude Thomas and Elliot Giles.
Wightman managed a season best time of 3:31.58 while Jude and Giles clocked 3:32.36 and 3:32.51.
Oblique Seville stuns favorites in 100m men’s race at London Diamond League 2025
Elsewhere, Jamaica’s Oblique Seville produced a monstrous display to win the 100m title in a time of 9.86 seconds.
The Jamaican run was followed by the 2024 Paris Olympic Games champion Noah Lyles and Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes, who clocked 10.00 and 10.02 seconds in that order.
Koech’s performance at the London Diamond League 2025 puts him at a good place of lighting up the upcoming Athletics Kenya (AK) trials for the Tokyo World Athletics Championships and getting a chance to represent his country at a senior high-profile event.
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