Dark Sky’s Kurgat, Ejore Place 3rd Each in 5,000, 1,500 at Kenyan Olympic Trials

Two Under Armour Dark Sky Distance runners came up big Saturday at the Kenyan Olympic Trials in Nairobi.

Edwin Kurgat, the 2019 NCAA Cross Country national champion at Iowa State, finished third in a highly-competitive 5,000 meters with a time of 13:27.75, run at altitude (5,900 feet).

The race was close throughout, with Ronald Kwemoi taking the victory in 13:27.20 and Jacob Krop finishing second at 13:27.54. Kurgat, who splits time training between Flagstaff with his team and Kenya, held off Emmanuel Kiplagat (13:28.09) in the stretch.

Then, in the women’s 1,500, Dark Sky’s Susan Ejore pulled a mild upset by cracking the top three in a race dominated by two-time Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon. Kipyegon, the favorite once more to win the Olympic gold, pulled away and ran a solo 3:53.99. Ejore, a two-time NCAA indoor champion, was a solid third place in 4:00.22.

Ejore has been racing well since joining Dark Sky earlier this year. In May, at the Los Angeles Grand Prix, she broke 4 minutes — 3:58.63 — to finish third behind two Ethiopian Olympians.

It is highly likely both Kurgat and Ejore will be selected by Athletics Kenya for the Olympics, given their third-place finishes. But the Kenyan committee will soon make an official decision on the teams. UPDATE: Both have officially been named to the Kenyan Olympic team.