Edmund Serem’s phone lit up the dark warm-up track just moments before the race of his life. It was a text from his father: simple and piercing: "Go, my son. Go for it. I love you."

These nine words from Mr Joseph Serem would become the ultimate fuel for his son. Less than nine minutes later, Serem flew over the final water jump, leaving the world's best steeplechase runners behind him to claim a stunning gold medal at the Commonwealth Games on Monday night, as well as helping Kenya secure a historic podium sweep.

The teenager's success can be attributed to his special bond with his father, who is also his first coach, biggest supporter, and a major source of inspiration.

Serem revealed that his father had called him almost 20 times on race day, including shortly before he entered the call room.

Read: How father’s sacrifice shaped Serem siblings into stars

The senior Serem had sent a lengthy text message to encourage him, remind him how to approach the race, and most importantly pray for him. It was the final words in the text message that made Serem believe he could win the race. And he did.

Kenyans had forgotten the days when local runners would begin major global championships such as the World Athletics Championships, the Olympics and the Commonwealth Games with a guaranteed gold medal in the men’s 3,000 metres steeplechase. However, after what transpired on a chilly Monday night at Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland, might Kenya dare to dream again?

Serem, the teenage World Championship bronze medallist, gave Kenyan fans in the stadium goosebumps, and perhaps those watching back home too, as he led his compatriots, Simon Koech and Leonard Bett, to a clean sweep of the podium.

And it was no ordinary field. It included reigning World Champion Geordie Beamish, the New Zealander who sensationally won the world title in Tokyo last September. But Beamish simply had no answer to the Kenyan charge. Serem produced a dominant performance, crossing the finish line in 8:18.23 — nearly seven seconds ahead of Beamish.

Koech, who was considered the favourite after breaking the eight-minute barrier for the first time in his career in Rabat, Morocco, on May 31, came second.

Bett, who has endured two difficult years plagued by injuries, completed the Kenyan sweep with a time of 8:21.63.

For Serem, however, winning a Commonwealth Games gold medal was about more than just that. It was about making his family and an entire nation proud.

“Today I’m very happy. I know my family back home, and the whole of Kenya are happy,” said Serem, who was draped in the Kenyan flag.

This is not the first time that Kenya has won all three medals in the steeplechase at the Commonwealth Games. The country has achieved this feat five times, most recently in 2018. Yet somehow, this one feels different. It is like watching a child take their first steps: you may have seen it before, but it still fills you with an indescribable sense of pride and excitement.

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Kenya has dominated the men's steeplechase at the Commonwealth Games since 1974, when Ben Jipcho won the first medal for Kenya. Since then, the country has won the event 11 times, with legendary athletes such as Henry Rono, Ezekiel Kemboi and Richard Mateelong etching their names onto the roll of honour.

Kenya has also dominated the event since 2002, with Abraham Kibiwot being the most recent champion before Serem took over the mantle. Ethiopia and Morocco did not participate in these Games. But the reigning World Champion, Geordie Beamish, did.

The fact that an 18-year-old Kenyan not only beat him, but did so emphatically, gives this victory a different significance. Kenya remains the most successful nation in the men's 3000 metres steeplechase at the World Athletics Championships, having won 13 gold medals.

Read: Weightlifter Amunga wins Kenya’s first medal at Commonwealth Games

However, the country has endured a worrying drought since Conseslus Kipruto won his second world title in Doha in 2019.

The low point came in Tokyo in 2025, when Beamish produced a stunning finish to beat the two-time world and Olympic champion, Soufianne El Bakkali, becoming the first New Zealander to win the world title in the process.

Serem, who was just 17 at the time, claimed bronze in his first senior World Championships, edging out Ethiopia’s Samuel Firewu by 0.12 seconds. Ethiopia has long been renowned for its finishing kick, but Serem, still just a teenager, had shown that he could withstand it on the biggest stage.

Now, one year later, the teenager has gone one better. He has beaten the reigning World Champion. He defeated the pre-race favourite, Simon Koech. And he is now a Commonwealth Games champion. Serem has only two years of senior experience, but his progression has been remarkable.

He announced himself on the global stage in 2024 by winning gold at the World Athletics Under-20 Championships. Last year, in his first senior season, he won bronze at the World Championships in Tokyo before his Commonwealth exploits.

Serem has given Kenya hope that the country may go into the 2027 World Athletics Championships with confidence of scooping a gold medal in the race.

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