The harvest yesterday brings to four, the total number of gold and a silver with Helen Obiri having won the first medal for Kenya on Thursday.
World and Olympic 3,000m champion Conseslus Kipruto added another feather to his already decorated cabinet, beating Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali in the specialty.
Conse clocked 8:26.38 to beat El Bakkali to second place in 8:28.01. Kenya’s Amos Kirui clocked 8:33.83 to place fourth behind Ethiopia’s Getnet Wale Bayabl who took bronze in 8:3087. “It is such a great thing to have all the medals in my cabinet. I am experienced enough and had an easy time against El Bakkali, who beat me in Monaco. I now want to win the Continental Cup. I am also targeting a sub 8 and I am happy with today’s win. I am happy that Kenyans were behind us and in addition to that, I want to ensure we keep winning. I have delivered what they wanted after Kemboi retired.
Kirui said: “It was very humid and that affected my race. Once I saw one of the Ethiopia pass by in the last lap, I wanted to chase after him but the body could not react.”
“I had to battle a bout of amoeaba before coming to Nigeria too but that shouldn’t be an excuse,” he added. Moments later, Winnie Chebet won Kenya’s third gold medal at the championships with victory in the women’s 1,500m final. Chebet kicked with about 300m to go and stuck in the lead to win gold.
Also winning gold was Mathew Sawe in high jump.
Emmanuel Korir won the 800m silver medal in a chaotic race that had Team Kenya officials holed up at the Technical Information Centre with an appeal for a repeat of the race today.
The race was won by veteran two-lapper Nigel Amos of Botswana in 1:45:20. Korir timed 1:45:65 in his silver lining with Smaili Modtafa of Morocco third in 1:45.90.
Antoine Gakeme of Burundi beat the rest of the Kenyan trio to the fourth position in 1:45.91. Ferguson Rotich was fifth in 1:46.33 ahead of compatriot Jonathan Kitilit, who timed 1:46:88.
Korir was a gutted man after the race. “It was a crazy. The starter messed the race. He needs to go for some technical course. There was no ‘on your marks’ sign, just the gun. After the mix up, I thought that I should just battle and make the Continental Cup.”
Kenya’s appeal was, however, dismissed. “Our athletes had to use a lot of energy to recover. The blame is on the starter and the recaller,” said coach Julius Kirwa. “Only the guys on lane 1, 2 and 3 heard the starter’s call.”
Source: