5-star performance! Kenyans shine as Beatrice Chebet defends her world cross-country title
30th March 2024
Chebet led her fellow countrywomen to a top five finish in the race
- Kenya won three gold medals in the event which was staged at the Park of Friendship in Belgrade, Serbia.
- Beatrice Chebet added another world title in her trophy laden cabinet.
- Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo won the men’s 10km senior category to successful defend his title.
World 5km world record holder Beatrice Chebet successfully
defended her World Athletics Cross Country Championships title in spectacular
fashion on Saturday evening.
Chebet led her fellow countrywomen to a top-five finish in
the race staged at the Park of Friendship in Belgrade, Serbia.
She turned on the screw in the last 200m to outpace Lilian
Kasait Rengeruk and went on to break the tape in an impressive time of 31:05.
Rengeruk came in second place in 31:08 with Margaret Chelimo
Kipkemboi completing the podium place positions in 31:09.
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The duo of Emmaculate Anyango Achol and Agnes Jebet Ngetich,
who appeared to struggle in the final stages of the race, settled for fourth
and fifth positions.
Achol clocked 31:24 while Ngetich, the reigning 10km world
record holder, completed the hotly contested race in a time of 31:27.
Uganda’s Sarah Chelangat managed a sixth-place position
ahead of the Kenyan-born Kazakhstani runner Daisy Jepkemei. They each stopped
the clock at 32:00 and 32:04 respectively.
In the men’s category, Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo crossed the
finishing line in 28:09 to defend the title he won in Bathurst, Australia.
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The half marathon world record holder was followed by
Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi and Kenya’s Benson Kiplangat, who timed 28:12 and
28:14 respectively.
Other Kenyans in the race Nicholas Kipkorir (28:16), Samwel
Chebolei Masai (28:18), Sabastian Kimaru Sawe (28:31) and Gideon Rono (28:31)
registered fourth, fifth, seventh and eighth place finishes respectively.
Meanwhile, in the men’s U20 category, Samuel Kibathi won a
gold medal for Kenya in 22:40 ahead of Ethiopia’s Mezgebu Sime.
Sime, who clocked 22:41, showed nerves of steel in the final
stages of the race to beat Kibathi’s teammate Matthew Kipkoech Kipruto (22:46).
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On the other hand, Kenya failed to secure a medal in the
women’s U20 category with the Ethiopians dominating the top 10 positions.
Marta Alemayo won the gold medal in 19:28 with her fellow
citizens Asayech Ayichew (19:32) and Robe Dida (19:38) clinching a silver and
bronze medal respectively.
Kenyan participants in the race Sheila Jebet (19:45), Diana
Cherotich (19:47) and Deborah Chemutai (19:51) came a distant fourth, fifth and
seventh.
Finally, Kenya’s mixed relay team lifted the country’s flag
higher, showing other countries dust to comfortably win the coveted gold medal.
The team which was made up of Reynold Cheruiyot, Purity Chepkirui, Virginia Nyambura and Kyumbe Munguti won the title in 22:15. Ethiopia and Great Britain secured the second and third-place positions in 22:43 and 23:00.
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