Ethiopian 5K double dislodges Kenya from third

Ethiopian 5K double dislodges Kenya from third

Kenya collected a silver and bronze on the penultimate day of the IAAF World Under 20 Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland as bitter rivals Ethiopia jumped above them in the medal table after striking both gold medals in the men and women 5000m finals.

National U20 champion Emmaculate Chepkirui took the silver in the women’s event in the morning session before Wesley Ledama closed the podium in the corresponding final on Saturday night.

Kalkidan Fentie became the eighth Ethiopian to win the women 5000m after smashing her previous lifetime best by nearly a minute in 15:29.64 before compatriot Selemon Barega completed the double by scorching the tartan in 13:21.21, his PB as well to take the men’s gold.

Ethiopia dislodged Kenya from third overall in the medal standings with three gold, a silver and three bronze with the old enemy just behind them on three gold, a silver and two bronze.

One of the youngest athletes in the women’s race, Chepkirui kept Ethiopian-born Bahraini Bontu Rebitu at bay on the last lap to claim silver in 15:31.12 with the Bahraini taking bronze in 15:31.93.

Djibouti’s Djamal Direh chased Fentie all the way down the homestretch to set a national record of 13:21.50 for the silver as Ledama who ran out of gas in the sprint for the title settled for bronze in 13:23.34.

Countryman Moses Koech (13:35.10) was sixth in an explosive final where all top ten finishers ran to Personal Bests with the Serbian national record also falling when Elzan Bibic clocked 13:51.40 for eighth.

In the women’s medal showdown, Fentie arrived in Bydgoszcz with limited international experience to her name but any winner of an Ethiopian middle or long distance title – be it at U20 or senior level – should be respected heading into a global competition.

The 18-year-old was one of the slowest in the field with a 16:26.11 PB but on her racing debut in Europe, the Ethiopian junior champion duly upset the form book to claim their country’s second title of the championships.

Fentie followed in the footsteps of some redoubtable names including Meseret Defar and Genzebe Dibaba but the manner in which she ran this morning was more reminiscent of world champion Almaz Ayana.

After reaching the 3000m checkpoint in 9:34.03, Fentie tore the field asunder with a 65.93 lap – faster than world record pace – with four laps remaining before producing another hard surge in the last 800 metres.

The chasers, including Chepkirui and Rebitu, were still in touching distance at the bell but Fente surged again, covering the last lap in 68.63 to claim victory in 15:29.64, a lifetime best by nearly a minute.

And there was clearly more in the tank if she needed it. Fentie kept running at the same pace for another 100 metres after crossing the finish line before the Ethiopian contingent positioned at the top of the back straight called out to her to stop.

“It’s great for our country that we keep the flag flying high here,” she said. “My plan for the future is to become the Olympic champion in Tokyo.”

The morning sessions in Bydgoszcz have been typically held in hot and sunny weather but the relatively cool and fresh conditions this morning were perfect for the long-distance runners with eight of top 10 finishers setting lifetime bests.

Material from IAAF used to compile this report

 

Tags:

Poland athletics IAAF World Under-20 Championships Emmaculate Chepkirui Wesley Ledama Bydgozcz Kalkidan Fentie

Want to send us a story? Submit on Wananchi Reporting on the Citizen Digital App or Send an email to wananchi@royalmedia.co.ke or Send an SMS to 25170 or WhatsApp on 0743570000

Leave a Comment

Comments

No comments yet.

latest stories