By Robin Toskin
Commonwealth champion Milcah Chemos missed out narrowly to landing a medal in her specialty the 3000m steeplechase after finishing fourth at the London Olympics.
Kenya’s other representative in the final Mercy Wanjiku Njoroge finished 10th (9:26.73) in the race won by Russia’s World Champion Yuliya Zaripova 9:06.72.
Chemos went into the final with a personal best of 9:07.14 gained at Bislett games in Oslo Norway on June 7 and looked strong enough to challenge a strong field that included 2008 Beijing champion Gulnara Galkina, also from Russia.
But the would-be winner Zaripova employed the gun to tape tactic, fending off a challenge by Tunisia’s Habiba Ghribi who finished second and Ethiopia’s Sofia Assefa (9:09.84), who settled for bronze.
Tunisia’s Ghribi carted home silver and setting her country’s new national record in a time of 9:08.37.
Elsewhere Granada’s 19-year-old Kirani James won the men’s 400m gold. Kirani, who is also the World Champion, beat Dominican Republic’s Luguelin Santos and Trinidad and Tobago’s Lolande Gordon in a race dominated by Caribbean countries.
