NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 19 – Faith Kipyegon underscored her status as the greatest 1500m athlete of all time with an imperious performance to clinch Kenya’s first gold medal at the World Championships in Oregon when she obliterated the field to win the race in a time of 3:52.96.
Kipyegon blazed down Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay, clocking 3:54.52 for bronze while Britain’s Laura Muir timed 3:55.28 for bronze at third.
The double Olympic champion now became double world title, reclaiming the title she lost in 2019 to Netherland’s Sifan Hassan who didn’t do the 1500m this year.
Faith Kipyegon races to win Gold in Oregon. PHOTO/Courtesy
At the gun, Tsegay took the pacing duties into her own hands, bolting to the front alongside compatriot Freweyni Hailu with Kipyegon sticking on their coattails.
The Kenyan GOAT took her time, preying on the two Ethiopians, waiting for the opportune time to strike. At the second lap, with the two leaders gesturing, Kipyegon bolted to the front sensing that they may be plotting to close her out from the inside lane.
She kicked up the pace a bit and opened up the lead, Tsegay following her.
At the bell, Kipyegon laid down her marker pushing up the pace a bit. Tsegay looked behind for her teammate but couldn’t see her and threw her hands in agony. At this point, it was Kipyegon time.
The Kenyan put on her devastating last kick, opening the gap more while the Ethiopians’ facial expressions showed her frustration and pain in trying to keep up.
Kipyegon strolled on to victory, becoming the first ever woman to win four World Championship medals in the 1500m. In 2015 and 2019 she won silver, and now two titles; 2017 and 2022.
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 19 – Kenya has so far claimed six medals at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, with Faith Kipyegon’s gold in the women’s 1500m taking the country to third overall in the medal standings.
Day Five of the Championship on Wednesday morning will offer Kenya an opportunity to add on more medals with the final of the men’s 1500m scheduled at 5:30am.
The duo of defending champion Timothy Cheruiyot and Abel Kipsang will look to take the medal tally to eight and more importantly, deliver a gold.
Cheruiyot has been struggling with a nagging slight hamstring injury over the past year, but judging by his performances from the national trials to the Heats and Semis in Eugene, the defending champion is in great shape.
He clocked 3:37.04 to finish fourth in the semis but this was mostly due to the fact that he had gathered a two yard lead a few meters to the finish, and decided to ease off with automatic qualification in sight.
In the Heats, the Kenyan stumbled and fell in the opening lap but recovered to finish fourth and qualify.
Kipsang, Olympic fourth place finisher from Tokyo last year is the fastest man this year and he will look to bring in his explosive pace in the final.
He won his Semi-Final in comfortable fashion, having gone through the Heats from second spot.
Among the competition expected in the final is from Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen who is the reigning Olympic champion.
The Kenyan duo will need to employ some perfect team tact to ensure they battle for the gold.
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 19 – Despite clinching Kenya’s third silver at the ongoing World Championship in Oregon, Judith Korir says she was ‘unimpressed’ with the running tactics of winner Gotytom Gebreslase of Ethiopia.
The Paris Marathon champion clocked a personal best of 2:18:20 in second as Gebreslase earned her country’s second gold in the road races, clocking 2:18:11 as Kenyan-born Israeli Lonah Chemtai finished third in 2:20:18.
Korir said she would have wanted to pace with the winner at one point in the race but it was to no avail.
“The Ethiopian runners are very fast. It is not easy to run with them but I tried my best. It bothered me a bit. The fact that she (Gotyom) did not want to pace with me even after it was only us two, alone. Nonetheless, I am happy with my silver and personal best,” Korir said.
Korir’s silver helped salvage what has been a disastrous outing for the men and women’s marathon team as Ethiopia took top honours in both categories.
Two-time Boston Marathon champion Lawrence Cherono was provisionally suspended a day before the men’s competition for alleged use of a banned substance.
Kenya, subsequently, missed out on the podium places with former world half marathon record holder Geoffrey Kamworor’s fifth-place finish the best result for the country in the race.
Ethiopia’s Gotytom Gebreslase (L) and Kenya’s Judith Jeptum Korir
More misfortune befell the women’s marathon team after immediate former champion Ruth Chepng’etich was forced to drop out of the race due to stomach complications.
Commenting on her colleague’s predicament, Korir said she had to run the race for Chepng’etich and for Kenya as a whole.
“She had told me that she was not feeling well and asked me to push on and carry the country’s flag high. Therefore, I knew I had to give everything to get on the podium. I am happy to have followed in the footsteps of my other colleagues in Team Kenya who had won medals earlier,” she said.
Korir, who was debuting for Kenya at the international level, said her latest feat has motivated her to pursue greater things in the future.
Top on her to-do list is next year’s World Championship in Budapest, Hungary as well as the Paris Olympics in 2024.
“I will go back to the drawing board to continue training even as I prepare for more road races. I want to come back to the World Championships next year and of course, to make it to the Paris Olympics,” she said.
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 19 – Kenyan 800m specialist Mary Moraa admits that the visa hitches witnessed in the run-up to the World Championship in Oregon may prevent athletes affected from performing well in the competition.
Several high profile athletes, such as Britain’s Chris Thompson and the 2016 Africa 5000m champion Sheila Chepkirui, failed to travel to the United States whereas African 100m champion Ferdinand Omanyala made it to Hayward Field, three hours before his race.
Moraa admitted it was disheartening to see someone’s dream go up in smoke after fighting so hard to qualify.
“Of course, it is very disappointing and confusing to go through such a situation. Many of us have worked hard to qualify for the World Championship and to encounter such hurdles in travelling can distract an athlete from the competition at hand. Anyway, our hands were tied and we have just to follow the procedures for accessing the visa,” Moraa said.
The 2017 World Under 18 400m silver medalist is expected in action on Thursday as the heats for the women’s 800m commence.
Mary Moraa celebrates after winning the 800m race at the National Trials. PHOTO/Timothy Olobulu
Moraa is in a rich vein of form, having won in the same race at the national trials for the World Championship and Commonwealth Games in June, following on from her first Diamond League win in Rome in the same month.
Although she admits that a first medal at the senior level is overdue, Moraa prefers to remain modest about her targets in Oregon.
“We have been training well so far and have worked on our weak areas. We are all ready to go and will consult among ourselves on the best game plan. However, it would be too early to say that I will win a medal but just to take it step-by-step. My immediate objective is to shave off a few microseconds from my personal best and then make it to the final,” Moraa said.
“Anybody can win. It is anybody’s race because anything can happen. I know that Athing Mu (Olympic champion) is one of the favorites but I have not prepared any specific strategy to deal with her. It is only when we get to the start that I will be able to gauge where the race may sway,” she added.
Moraa will be hoping to go one better than the Tokyo Olympics where she exited in the semis.
Other Kenyan representatives in the one-lap race include African champion Jarinter Mawia and Naomi Korir.
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 20 – Kenya failed to add on to their medal tally on Day Five of the World Athletics Championships on Wednesday morning, with Timothy Cheruiyot losing his world title and missing out on the medals.
On Thursday morning, Kenya will have one opportunity to make that right, with the final of the women’s steeplechase.
Here is how Kenya’s menu looks like in the Thursday early morning shift.
2:25am – Women’s 5,000m Heats
Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey (L) and Kenya’s Margaret Chelimo Kipkemboi (R)
Kenya will have one arrow less in its quiver for the women’s 5,000m after defending champion Hellen Obiri pulled out after she won silver in the women’s 10,000m.
Obiri’s strength was hugely spent in the scintillating race which ended in a sprint finish and edged out just narrowly by Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay. She has been working mostly on road running and doubling with the 5k would have been a tall order.
And now, Kenya’s hopes will rest on 10,000m bronze medalist Margaret Chelimo as well as two youngsters, Beatrice Chebet and Gloria Kite.
Chelimo will look to earn two medals in long distance and she will be out with a leap of confidence following her bronze in the 10k.
She will run in Heat One and will be joined by Chebet, the reigning African Champion as well as a former World Under 20 5,000m and Cross Country Champion.
They will race in the same Heat with Caster Semenya, who returns to the World Champs on a longer distance due to World Athletics rules on DSD athletes.
Also lining up in this heat is 5k champion Tsegay against who Chelimo will fancy a rematch.
Kite, 24, will be in Heat Two and she will contest against dethroned 10,000m champion Sifan Hassan. The Dutch champion will be looking to make amends in half the distance.
3:20am – Men’s 800m Heats
Emmanuel Korir crosses the finish line to win the Olympic Gold medal. PHOTO/Reuters
Since 2015 when David Rudisha ruled the Bird’s Nest at the Beijing World Championships, Kenya has not won the two lap race and has had to contend with back to back bronze medals in 2017 and 2019.
In Eugene, Olympic champion Emmanuel Korir will be looking to bring back the respect and take the title back to Kenya. He starts his campaign early Thursday morning and goes out first in Heat One, where he is expected to take a commanding start.
While most eyes will be on the Olympic champion, there will be one youngster who will seek to announce his presence to the world; Emmanuel Wanyonyi.
The World Under-20 Champion has been in sensational form this season and in his debut at the senior Worlds, the 17-year old who is trained by Janeth Jepkosgei will run out in heat Two.
Noah Kibet, second place finisher behind Wanyonyi at the World Under 20 will line out in Heat Five while Commonwealth Games champion Wycliffe Kinyamal who won the Kenyan Trials will be last out in heat Six.
5:45am – Women’s 3,000m steeplechase final
Kenya’s Celliphine Chespol celebrates after winning the title at the World Under-20 Championship in Tampere, Finland. PHOTO/Athletics Africa
The steeple final will be Kenya’s lone medal event on the sixth day of the Championship, and all eyes will be on Celiphine Chespol, a former World Under 20 and Under 18 champion.
She will be the only Kenyan face in the water and barriers race after the rest of her mates fell off on the wayside and defending champion Beatrice Chepkoech pulled out in the 11th hour.
It will not be a walk in the park for Chespol as she will come under tough competition from two Kenyans who sought greener pastures elsewhere.
Norah Jeruto, who now runs for Kazakhstan ran the quickest in the Heats and will be the hot favourite. Winfred Mutile Yavi, who now runs for Bahrain is the only other athlete to have dipped under nine minutes this season.
Olympic champion Peruth Chemutai is also in the ix same as Ethiopia’s Mekides Abebe who has run 9:03 this season.
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 20 – The national lawn bowl team is hopeful their one-month residential camp will be enough to aid a progression to the knockout stages of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
Team manager Mumo Musembi said time is ripe for the team to qualify from the group stages, having first competed at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
“We are going to Birmingham to try and qualify for the knockout stages. We have been competing in the Commonwealth since 1998, and we are yet to make the knockout stages. We got very close and on the African stage the biggest nation is South Africa who have won multiple Commonwealth gold medals and so have Zimbabwe,” Musembi said.
He is counting on the fact that Kenya beat bigwigs South Africa in the last competitive action between the two sides.
“In the last competitive competition in Africa we defeated the South African singles champion. So we are able to play at the top level but we still need to put in a bit of investment to get right at the top table,” he said.
However, Musembi says he is aware that the Club Games are a different ball game and many teams are expected to bring their A-game in bid for medals.
“We know who we are playing in the pools, so our gentleman will be pooled with Australia and South Africa, ladies have their opponents and of course the seeding is done based on previous performance. We are seeded in our pool in position three and position four because that’s where we finished the last time,” Musembi said.
Kenyan lawn bowler Eunice Mbugua in training
“As you can see in Commonwealth Games 2018, our lady player Eunice (Mbugua) finished third in her pool and just missed out by a very short margin of making the quarters,” he added.
The bowlers have been training for the past one month at Karen Country Club, Nairobi Club and the Moon Country Club in Njoro.
Speaking at the same time, Mbugua exalted the training regime, noting it has worked wonders for her game.
“I am now able to access the green or the field as a result of this training camp. The weather has also helped a lot, allowing us to train during the day,” she said.
Also part of the team is Cephas Kimwaki who started playing 12 years ago and is looking forward to making his Commonwealth bow.
“I am ready because I have been training for a month. I started playing at Limuru Country Club and while maintaining the green over there, I took the opportunity to build myself. I am looking forward to a great outing in Birmingham,” Kimwaki said.
Lawn bowls is played on a grass pitch – also known as a green – which is about 40 metres by 40 metres.
Each green contains seven playing sections whereas each team has four playing woods (balls) which they try to get as close as possible to a white ball called the Jack.
The Jack is placed about 23 metres from the players who roll the wood to see who is closest to the former.
For every wood that is closer than any of the opponent’s wood, a point is scored. The maximum points is four and the minimum is one point.
They are tallied on a scoreboard and the players go up and down 18 times; at the end of 18 times, the person with the most points wins the game.
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 20 – National Olympic Committee- Kenya (NOCK) president Paul Tergat has recounted how he had to bounce back from a horrendous international debut at the 1992 World Cross Country Championships in Boston.
Tergat narrated how the winter weather in the United States forced him to drop out of the race.
“I remember it was just after I had won the national cross country title. Back then, we did not have as much information as nowadays and so when I got to the U.S, I was shocked to find out that there is winter. It was my first time to see snow and to be in such cold weather with temperatures as low as -12,” Tergat said.
“I was dressed in tropical clothes because I hadn’t expected it to be so cold. Eventually, I did not make it to the start line and couldn’t compete,” he added.
The 1998 World Half Marathon champion, who has been at the helm of NOCK for the past six years, further revealed his ambition to enter sports administration began with his Olympic debut in 1996 in Atlanta.
“Even as you compete, you need to have a strategy for retirement. I remember competing in my first Olympics in Atlanta and I marveled at the organization of the competition. I told myself that when I retire from the sport, I want to be part of the decision makers in the International Olympic Committee to implement some of these things I had seen (in Atlanta),” Tergat said.
NOCK boss Paul Tergat.
“That is where my journey to sports administration began. As I was retiring, I was elected as an individual member of the IOC. We have a vision and a calling to help grow the sport. Tomorrow when we are no longer here, we would like to see the fruits of these efforts because we are not doing these things for ourselves but the fourth and fifth generations,” the 1996 Olympics 10,000m silver medalist added.
NOCK have been busy for the last few months preparing Team Kenya for next week’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.
The club games commence on July 27 until August 8.
Using his story, Tergat encouraged the present generation of athletes to always have a strategy for their careers regardless of setbacks experienced along the way.
“Carrying the national flag comes with a lot of expectations but there is no giving up. Setbacks should not stop you from pursuing your vision. Because I had a strategy and a vision, I was able to win five world cross country titles even after the setback in Boston,” he said.
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 20 – The Kenyan team to the World Under 20 Championship will depart the country on Thursday next week for Cali, Colombia where the biennial competition will be staged.
The team has been in residential training at Moi Stadium, Kasarani for the past three weeks and Perpetua Mbutu says the sessions have been quite intense.
Mbutu, who led a group of 11 runners to a month-long training camp in Miramas, France in May, has been putting the sprinters through their paces.
“Yesterday they had intense training for speed endurance. So today (Wednesday) was a combination of active rest with the mechanism of running. Basically, it was about keeping your muscles active while preparing for tomorrow’s (Thursday) session, which will be once again intense,” Mbutu said.
“Tomorrow, the athletes will be pushing to maximum ferocity…to increase the recovery time and also to do longer distances,” she added.
Mbutu is optimistic the juniors will do well, especially in the sprints, considering they have grown in leaps and bounds since they commenced the residential camp.
“For the first week, it was quite a challenge for me because that was a week of getting to understand the athletes better. From Thursday last week until today, I can say their bodies are responding well and I believe we are going to do much better,” she said.
The lads have it all to do to match up to the feat of their predecessors who preserved the country’s crown as the kings and queens of World Under 20, having amassed 16 medals at the last edition of the competition in Nairobi in August last year.
Before that, Kenya had excelled at the 2018 championships in Tampere, Finland, collecting 11 medals to top the medal standings.
The juniors were visited at the camp on Wednesday by Athletics Kenya youth sub-committee chair Barnaba Korir who expressed his delight at the high spirits in the team.
“A quick chat with the juniors and their handlers drew a picture of a resilient group determined to defend our title when the biennial championships get underway early next month in Cali, Colombia,” Korir said.
The championships are slated for August 1-6 in the South American nation.
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 20 – Just less than a fortnight after making history by becoming the first ever Kenyan to win a Grandslam, Angela Okutoyi has started reaping the fruits of her labor and has received a Sh500,000 reward from tech solution firm Vaspro.
Okutoyi clinched the Wimbledon Girls’ Doubles title with her Dutch partner Rose Marie Nijkamp, becoming the first ever Kenyan to achieve the massive feat.
“We as a company are proud to associate ourselves with Angela who has proved beyond all means that Kenya can conquer the world in the field of tennis. Her character, resilience, endurance and performance is aligned with our core values as a company,” said VasPro business development manager Evans Mwika.
According to Mwika, the reward will be a massive boost for the 18-year old as she continues her preparations for upcoming tournaments, including the US Open.
Angela Okutoyi all smiles after receiving her reward
Okutoyi was elated with the reward handed over to her and believes it will inspire her even more to continue working hard and breaking barriers.
“I thank VasPro for this token of appreciation that they have given me today. It has come as a surprise to me as I had not seen it coming my way,” an excited Okutoyi said as she received the token.
She added; “The financial support will see me through my young tennis career as I aim for the stars and I promise you all today there is more to come.”
Okutoyi has enjoyed a stellar year in Tennis, having become the first Kenyan to reach the third round at a Grandslam when she reached the Australian Open in January.
She also featured at the Roland Garros where she reached the second round. At Wimbledon, she didn’t have a good start as she bowed out in the singles after round one, but that disappointment seemed to have fuelled her as she went on to clinch the girls doubles.
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 21 – The Kenyan trio of Margaret Chelimo, Beatrice Chebet and Gloria Kite all qualified for the final of the women’s 5,000m at the World Athletics Championships early Thursday morning.
While Chelimo, bronze medalist in the women’s 10,000m and Chebet qualified automatically from Heat One, Kite qualified as one of the non-automatic qualifiers after her time in Heat Two where she finished sixth was enough to earn her a ticket to Saturday’s final.
Chelimo and Chebet finished third and fourth in the opening Heat.
In the opening Heat, Chelimo and Chebet, the 2018 World Under-20 Champion ran with reserved energy, just ensuring they were within the top five all through the race.
With two laps to go, Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay and Dawit Seyaum began showing intent and the Kenyan duo stuck on their necks. The leading pack also included Americans Karissa Schweizer and Emily Infeld.
At the bell, the six were jostling for top spot and it was the Ethiopian duo which kept the lead.
At the home straight, Chelimo and Chebet kicked in to ease off the Americans and ensure they finished in the top four. Chebet timed 14:53.34 for third while Chelimo went through with a time of 14:53.45.
Tsegay won the race while Seyaum was second.
heat Two was won by Ethiopia’s Lesenbet Gidey, winner of the 10,000m just two days ago. The Ethiopian clocked 14.52.27 to keep her double dream alive while Kenyan Caroline Kipkirui, now running for Kazakhstan came second.
Olympic champion Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands finished third to also automatically qualify.
Kite finished sixth in 14:53.62 and benefited from the fast Heat as she went through as one of the five non automatic qualifiers.
The Kenyan could not respond to a final lap kick despite being in third pace for most of the race.
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 21 – Olympic champion Emmanuel Korir led the Kenyan duo of World U20 champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi and Commonwealth Games champion Wycliffe Kinyamal into the semi-final of the men’s 800m at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon on Thursday.
Korir was emphatic in his Heat gliding to victory while a hard fighting Wanyonyi finished third in his preliminary while Kinayamal was second on his.
Noah Kibet, who finished second behind Wanyonyi at last year’s World U20 Championship also squeezed in despite finishing sixth in his Heat.
Korir was first out among the Kenyans and he showed his supremacy with a measured race. At the bell, he sat third in the field and dropped to fifth at the backstraight.
But heading to the business end of the track, he galloped upfront and managed to get in the lead, winning the race in 1:49.05, leaving the rest of the field to battle for the remaining two automatic qualifying slots.
Wanyonyi meanwhile finished third in his Heat won by Morocco’s Moad Zahafi who timed 1:46.15. Wanyonyi timed 1:46.45, faster than Korir’s winning time.
The 17-year old seemed to have made the same mistake he made at the National Trials, being tucked in the inside lane after the start.
But at the bell, he began to peel off but had a lot of work to do as he had to come from the outside. At the home stretch, he put in the afterburners and ensured he sprinted his way to third and automatically qualify.
Kinayamal finished second and was only beaten to top spot by a sprint finish from the outside by Algeria’s Slimane Moula who timed 1:44.90 to win the Heat.
The Commonwealth Games Champion had been second at the bell and maintained up to the home stretch when he galloped to the lead. He looked well on course for the win but the Algerian came off on his blind side.
But he was safely second in a time of 1:45.08 to progress.
Kibet meanwhile could not match up to a strong finish in his Heat as Canada’s Marco Arop won in 1:44.56. However, the fast times in the Heat allowed him to squeeze in as one of the non-automatic qualifiers.
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 21 – The Jonathan Jackson Foundation has partnered with famous eatery KFC under the Bakee Mtaani initiative to deliver a full-size FIBA standard basketball court at Humama public grounds in Kayole.
The launch and handover to Divine World Parish (DIWOPA) who provided the land, for onward availability to the community, comes exactly two months after the two entities announced their partnership during a groundbreaking ceremony at the same venue.
“My wish and aim is to build 25 basketball courts in Nairobi at the moment. This is the fourth one and we are going to do another five shortly. As we build them, we are going to start tournaments between courts,” said JJF boss Jonathan Jackson.
He added; “You now have your first one and we are going to build four more in this community. We will start little tournaments and competitions, community level tournaments and not federation level tournaments whom I believe will organise their own. This will give you the opportunity to showcase your talents.”
The ceremony was also attended by Pius Metto, who is the Director General of Sports Kenya.
“This additional facility will go a long way to address the shortage of sports facilities and provide and enabling environment for nurturing talent. It is going to be tremendous source of joy and energy to the local communities and groups who have yearned for such facilities for long,” Metto said.
The local area Chief, Madam Salome Muthomi also remarked that;
“Over 50 skilled and unskilled youth laborer and artisans have directly benefited in the construction phase of this noble community initiative thereby helping them to earn an income and add on their technical skills and competence,” she said.
The same sentiments were echoed by Mr John Mwangi, Chairman of Humama Grounds.
“KFC employs over 1000 youths who also form a core part of our customer base at KFC. We are therefore very aligned with JJF’s mission of addressing the burning issue of youth unemployment and social development,” said Jacques Theunissen, Principal Operator at Kuku Foods.
He adds; “This facility will provide a meeting point for interaction for not only our customers but also with other youth which fully aligns with our objectives as an organization.”
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 21 – Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) head coach Anthony Ojukwu is more than delighted with the performances of his new signings in the first five games of the season, especially shooting guard Jemimah Omondi.
Omondi joined the dockers at the start of the season from Storms, having guided them to the semi-finals of the play-offs last season, where they lost out to her new employers.
“Without fear of contradiction she is an asset. She opens up play for us with her passing and her defensive play is also really good. Mimah is a big asset to KPA and I thank God for her,” Ojukwu told Capital Sport.
KPA head coach Anthony Ojukwu shouts instructions during their match against Equity Hawks. PHOTO/Timothy Olobulu
The 26-year old who has also turned out for USIU has been top scoring for KPA and dropped 21 points in their 73-42 weekend victory over Equity Hawks, only skipper Natali Akinyi outscoring her with 22.
In Saturday’s 61-30 win over UoN Dynamites, she recorded 12 points, also the second highest for KPA behind Natalie who had 14.
Coach Ojukwu says he is pleased with his transfer activity which also includes Belinda Akoth and Linda Alando who joined from Equity.
“I am really happy with the signings I made. They have brought competition into the team and everyone is working hard to put on that KPA jersey,” added the coach.
KPA shooting guard Jemimah Omondi prepares to take a shot from the free throw line. PHOTO/Timothy Olobulu
He has however called on his bench players to pull up their game, saying it is one area that he needs to improve his team on.
“The bench players have to work hard. There is a big gap between the starting five and the guys coming in. Every time I do rotation, the game slows down. I believe as a coach I have to step in big time on this,” he added.
Meanwhile, the tactician has said that despite the convincing win over their biggest rivals Equity, he still expects a tough season and a stronger opposition in the second leg when the bankers travel to Mombasa.
KPA shooting guard Jemimah Omondi in action. PHOTO/Timothy Olobulu
“The league is a marathon and this is not a statement win for us. We still need to keep working. Equity is a good team and I know they will come back stronger and will be tough as always,” added the coach.
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 21 – There will be several Kenyan athletes in action on the seventh day of action at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, though none will be medal chasing events.
This is how Kenyan athletes will line out on day seven at Hayward field.
3:10am – Women’s 800m Heats
Mary Moraa celebrates after winning the 400m final at the Athletics Kenya National Trials. PHOTO/Timothy Olobulu
Kenya will be represented by three athletes in the heats of the two-lap race and they will be keen to emulate their make counterparts, all who sailed into the semis on Thursday morning.
All eyes will be on Mary Moraa who is in sizzling form with two Diamond League wins under her arms as well as a new Personal best over the distance and a National Record in the 400m, all set during the National Trials last month.
She will line up in the final Heat, looking to book a slot in the semis. Among the competition expected in her Heat includes Jamaican Commonwealth Games Bronze medalist Natoya Goule.
Recently crowned African champion Jarinter Mawia will be the first Kenyan on the track in Heat One, while Naomi Korir who finished second in Mauritius at the Africa Champs will line out in Heat Four, alongside American Ajee Wilson, the bronze medalist from Doha 2019.
Kenya has not won the women’s title since Eunice Sum zoomed to victory in 2013 and onus will be on the trio to get the respect back.
4:10am – Men’s 5,000m Heats
Nicholas Kimeli winning his heat at the Tokyo Olympic Games. PHOTO/Reuters
Nicholas Kimeli, the fastest man over the 5,000m this season will be the leading light for Kenya in this race, as the country looks to try and wrestle back the title after years of playing second fiddle to Ethiopians, and lately Ugandans.
Kimeli will line up in Heat One which will be loaded with talent as it will have Olympic champion Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda who already has a 10,000m gold around his neck as well as silver medalist from 2019, Selemon Barega of Ethiopia.
Meanwhile, youngsters Daniel Simiu and Jacob Krop will be in Heat Two where opposition is expected from the Ethiopian duo of defending champion Muktar Edris and Yomif Kejelcha.
Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen who missed out on the 1500m gold will be seeking to make amends over the longer distance and will also compete in this Heat.
In Doha 2019 and London 2017 Kenya failed to win a single medal. Benjamin Limo was the last Kenyan to win the title in 2005.
4:35am – Men’s javelin throw qualification
Julius Yego in a previous championship. Photo/Raymond Makhaya
Julius Yego, the 2015 World Champion will be Kenya’s sole flagbearer in the javelin event, having qualified by virtue of being the African champion.
Yego has struggled to go beyond the 80s this season and threw a Season Best of 80.62m during the trials. He has not competed in many events abroad, his only travel being to Mauritius where he defended his African title.
He will be in the same qualification group with World Leader Anderson Peters who has a massive lifetime and season best of 93.07m. German Julian Weber who has thrown 89m this season is also in this group.
5am – Men’s 800m semi-finals
Wycliffe Kinyamal battles to win the men’s 800m at the National Trials as Emmanuel Wanyonyi storms into second. PHOTO/Timothy Olobulu
The Kenyan quartet of Olympic champion Emmanuel Korir, Commonwealth champion Wycliffe Kinyamal, World Under-20 Champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi and Noah Kibet will all line up in the semis for a shot at the final.
Korir easily won his Heat early Thursday morning while Kinyamal was second, Wanyonyi third and Kibet qualified as one of the non-automatic qualifiers having finished sixth in his heat.
In the semis, Kinyamal and Korir go out first in Heat One, Kibet in Heat Two while Wanyonyi will battle in heat Three where he will have Marco Arop for company, the lanky Canadian having clocked the fastest qualification time.
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 22 – Olympic champion Emmanuel Korir, Commonwealth Games holder Wycliffe Kinyamal and World Under-20 Champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi all cruised into the final of the men’s 800m at the World Athletics Championship in Eugene, Oregon early Friday morning.
Korir and Kinyamal finished first and second in Heat One to automatically qualify for the final while Wanyonyi finished third in his heat, but his time was enough to take him through as one of the top two non-automatic qualifiers.
Korir ran the fastest time this season, clocking 1:45.38 to win the race, just dipping ahead of Kinyamal who clocked 1:45.49.
The Olympic champion had been at the basement of the pack at the bell, but with his long kicks galloped his way up to the front as he began to eat into the lead with 200m to go.
In the final 100m of the race, he managed to glide into the lead, pipping Kinyamal at the line, the Commonwealth Champion having stuck to the lead from the start.
Australian Peter Bol who finished third in 1:45.58 also managed to squeeze into the final as one of the two non automatic qualifiers.
In Heat Three, Wanyonyi managed to finish third courtesy of a spirited sprint in the final 50m, having ensured he grabbed himself space at the bell.
Algerian Slimane Moula won the Heat in a time of 1:44.89, the fastest of the three heats, ahead of Canadian Marco Arop who timed 1:45.12.
Wanyonyi timed 1:45.42 for third, again faster than Kinyamal’s second place time in Heat Two.
The other Kenyan in the semi Noah Kibet finished bottom of his Heat after kicking out early and losing gas at the home stretch.
Mary Moraa celebrates after winning the 800m race at the National Trials. PHOTO/Timothy Olobulu
Meanwhile, Mary Moraa waded into the semis of the corresponding women’s race when she finished second in her heat behind Jamaica’s Natoya Goule.
The Kenyan champion clocked 2:00.42 behind Goule who timed 2:00.06.
Naomi Korir just but managed to squeeze into the semis despite finishing sixth after finishing off as one of the non-automatic qualifiers courtesy of her time. She clocked 2:01.61 to earn a place in the semis.
Meanwhile, African champion Jarinter Mawia did not make the final after finishing fifth in her heat and her time of 2:02.35 wasn’t enough to hand her a non-automatic qualification.
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 22 – Jacob Krop led the Kenyan duo of Daniel Simiu and Nicholas Kimeli into qualification for the final of the men’s 5,000m at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, early Friday morning.
Krop was Kenya’s best performer as he easily won his heat in a time of 13 minutes, 30.30seconds, more than three seconds ahead of Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen.
Simiu and Kimeli progressed as non-automatic qualifiers after both finished sixth in their heats but their times were enough to earn them a slot in the final.
Krop easily won his Heat, bossing the final lap to clinch the automatic qualification slot ahead of Ingebrigtsen who is seeking a second medal at the Championship having already won silver in the men’s 1500m.
Simiu finished sixth in the Heat clocking 13:15.17, just outside the top five automatic qualification slots, but the time was enough to sail him though as one of the non-automatic qualifiers.
In the first Heat, Kimeli, who has the World Leading time over the distance this year finished sixth in a race won by Uganda’s Oscar Chelimo in a time of 13:24.24.
Compatriot Joshua Cheptegei who is seeking a double having already conquered the 10,000m finished fourth and also made the final, having clocked 13:24.47 behind American Grant Fisher and Ethiopia’s Selemon Barega.
Kimeli timed 13:24.56secs, way faster than Krop’s winning time in Heat Two, but hugely expected due to the quality in the field he was competing in.
Meanwhile, 2015 World Champion Julius Yego failed to make it past round one in the men’s javelin after managing a best throw of 79.60m to finish eighth. He was just 44cm away from qualification.
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 22 – Faith Kipyegon jetted back home Thursday evening from Eugene, Oregon, the glory of her historic run to clinch her second world title yet to fade from her face, but the determination of a new target not far from her thoughts.
Kipyegon became the first woman to win medals at four consecutive World Championship events when she glided to gold at Hayward Field clocking 3:52.96 to reclaim the title she last won in 2017.
And now, even before the joy of that historic achievement fades away, she is already plotting her next target, the World Record.
With two world titles, two Olympic crowns and numerous Diamond League achievements under he belt, the World title is the only missing piece from her jigsaw.
Faith Kipyegon races to win Gold in Oregon. PHOTO/Courtesy
“I am now looking forward to get the World Record and I will work hard and pray to have that strength to achieve it, plus also remain injury free. I can’t promise when but I will work hard, stay mentally strong and focus on it,” the determined Kipyegon stated.
She heads to the Monaco Diamond League in a fortnight and with the fast track in the French Principality, she hopes she can take an aim at a possible assault of Genzebe Dibaba’s 3:50.07 World Record.
The Ethiopian set the world mark in July 2015 on the same Monaco course.
“I hope I can have a shot at it in Monaco because it is a fast track. I am looking forward to run there for a second time and hopefully, I can see if I can go lower the time,” she added.
Her Personal Best in the 1500m is 3:51.07, set on the same course in July last year.
Faith Kipyegon is treated to a jig by traditional dancers after arriving home from Oregon. PHOTO/Raymond Makhaya
Kipyegon was given a grand reception as she jetted back home with friends, family and ardent fans gathering to give her a massive welcome back home.
“I want to say a big thank you for the warm welcome. I am so grateful. To be honest I wasn’t expecting but I am excited,” said the always smiling Kipyegon.
She added; “I want to thank my family for the support, my coaches, my management and the fans for always being there.”
Looking back at the race, Kipyegon still bears exciting memories.
“I was under a lot of pressure because everyone expected me to win. But I did my best. Even if Sifan (Hassan) would have been there, I knew I was strong enough to win,” Kipyegon said.
Faith Kipyegon all smiles after jetting back home from Oregon. PHOTO/Raymond Makhaya
As at Friday, she was the only gold medalist for Team Kenya, but believes there will be more despite a difficult Championship.
“It hasn’t been easy for the athletes of course with missing physios, the issue of visas but we are still crossing fingers to get another gold medal. We have the 800m and the 5,000m and I am sure we will get something there,” she added.
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 23 – So far, only Faith Kipyegon, who is already back home, has struck gold for Kenya at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
On the penultimate day of competition early Sunday morning, Kenya will have two opportunities to strike the second or even third gold medal with the final of the men’s 5,000m and 800m.
Here is how Kenya’s program on day nine in sunny Hayward Field looks like:
4:10am – Men’s 800m final
EUGENE, OREGON – JULY 21: Emmanuel Kipkurui Korir of Team Kenya and Wyclife Kinyamal Kisasy of Team Kenya react after competing in the Men’s 800m Semi-Final on day seven of the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 at Hayward Field on July 21, 2022 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images for World Athletics)
Kenya will be represented by the trio of Olympic champion Emmanuel Korir, Commonwealth Games champion Wycliffe Kinyamal and World U20 champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi.
There is building confidence that one of the three will deliver a gold medal for Kenya and also a probability of a clean sweep of two medals at least.
Kinyamal and Korir went through the semis first and second in their Heat, with Korir showing a superb sprint in the final 100m to skip into top spot ahead of compatriot Kinyamal.
The Kenyans looked in good strength and form and they have both vowed to do their best and get Kenya its second gold. Kinyamal has looked ever on form this year especially after battling injury over the past two seasons.
Wanyonyi, 17, has been in phenomenal form this season and though he has worked extra hard to get to the final, he might pull in a surprise in the field.
In terms of opposition, Kenya should be wary of Algerian Slimane Moula who had the fastest qualification time from the semis. Another threat for a Kenyan possible sweep is the lanky Canadian Marco Arop who finished behind Slimane in their semis.
4:25am – Women’s 5,000m final
Margaret Chelimo winning bronze in the women’s 10,000m.
In the absence of defending champion Hellen Obiri, the Kenyan trio of Margaret Chelimo, Gloria Kite and Beatrice Chebet will be out to ensure the title remains in the 254.
Chelimo is the leading light among the trio and having already clinched a bronze medal in the 10,000m, will look to add another medal around her neck from half the distance.
It will be another rematch for Chelimo against Ethiopian Letesenbet Gidey who edged her and Obiri to the 10,000m gold. She will have a bone to chew with the Ethiopian and definitely has come up with a tact that will bring her down.
It will be a tough field however, with Gidey and Ethiopian counterpart Gudaf Tsegay in the mix. Tsegay lost the 1500m battle to the rocket Faith Kipyegon and will look to battle for the 5,000m title.
Also in the field is Olympic champion Sifan Hassan. The Dutch lady struggled in the 10,000m where she missed a medal and did not even attempt the 1500m like she did at the Olympics.
This final is expected to be a battle between the Ethiopians and Kenyans… and Hassan.
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 24 – Olympic champion Emmanuel Korir earned Kenya its second gold medal at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, with a superb home stretch sprint to win the men’s 800m early Sunday morning.
Korir dipped below 1:45 this season and timed a season’s best time of 1:43.71, outsprinting Canadain Marco Arop who had led the race from gun to tape.
Kenya has now reclaimed the title that David Rudisha last won in 2015 after clinching a pair of bronze medals in 2017 and 2019.
Algerian Djamel Sedjati beat Arop to the line for silver, timing 1:44.14 while Arop settled for bronze in 1:44.28.
Emmanuel Wanyonyi’s last gasp sprint couldn’t take him to the medals as he finished fourth in a time of 1:44.54. The other Kenyan in the race, Wycliffe Kinyamal, couldn’t sustain a last bust of pace as he clocked 1:47.07 to finish bottom of the pile.
Arop with his lanky steps had assumed the lead from the start, Kinyamal and Korir perched in the middle while Wanyonyi chose to run at the basement.
At the ball, the jostling for space began with Kinyamal and Korir battling to disentangle themselves from the middle.
At the backstraight, the two finally found space and started sprinting for Arop’s shadow. At the home stretch, they were right behind the Canadian but it was Korir, reminiscent of his semi-final win, who managed to get into the lead.
The American-based Kenyan dug deep into his energy reserves to blow away from Arop, as Kinyamal started drifting away from the lead at the home stretch.
There was no looking back for Korir who sprinted all the way to the line. Wanyonyi had engaged in another sprint from the back, passing down three but missed out on the medal as his burst of pace came just a tad too late.
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 24 – Beatrice Chebet, the 2018 World Under-20 Champion, ran with confidence and bravery as she earned Kenya silver in the women’s 5,000m final at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon on Sunday morning.
Chebet, 22, finished second behind Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay, timing a season’s best time of 14:46.75 with Tsegay winning her second medal in the Championships after winning silver in the 1500m, timing 14:46.29.
Compatriot Dawit Seyaum sprinted home third for bronze in 14:47.36 while Margaret Chelimo’s sprint for a possible Kenyan 2-3 finish wasn’t successful as she came home fourth in 14:47.71, also a season’s best time for her.
Gudaf tsegay wins the women’s 5,000m final at the World Athletics Championship. PHOTO/World Athletics
Tsegay, a 1500m specialist was a huge beneficiary of the pedestrian pace in the race and it played in her favour as it reserved a lot of energy in her tank for a final lap dash.
The field remained quite intact for most of the race and with three laps to go, Gidey started showing intent with Chelimo and Chebet sticking on her tails.
With two to go, Hassan, the reigning Olympic champion sprinted to the front as she tried to kick in a bust of pace and open up the field, but the leading pack could not let her go alone.
At the bell, The Dutch lady klicked further but Chebet couldn’t let her open up a gap and Gidey followed suit. Slowly, she began fizzling away and Gidey kicked in her 1500m finishing pace, Chebet following her shadow.
She managed to put in a good gap in the final 50m to win the race as Chebet finished second. Behind them, the battle for third was on with Hassan fizzling away and it was Seyaum who came home for bronze.
Chelimo’s last dash of pace wasn’t enough but she managed to beat Letesenbet Gidey for fourth, the 10,000m champion finishing fifth. The other Kenyan in the race, Gloria Kite, finished 10th out of the 11 starting athletes.
