By GILBERT WANDERA
Isaac Korir from Rift Valley won the men’s 10,000m finals on the first day of the Kenya Prisons Inter Provincial Athletics Championship at Nyayo National Stadium Thursday.
Korir clocked 28:25.2 to emerge winner ahead of second placed John Mwangangi from North Eastern Province who came home in 28:47.5. Mwangangi was the 2011 Africa cross country champion in the 12km senior men race.
Charles Cheruiyot finished in third position and was credited with a time of 28:51.1. Cheruiyot is from the Prisons Training College. Fourth position went to Joseph Birich from Nyanza Province, who clocked 29:07.8 while Daniel Too representing Nairobi came home fifth in 29:26.24.
African silver medallist Timothy Kiptoo qualified for the men’s 5,000 finals after winning his heat in a time of 13:47.1. Kiptoo broke away with two laps to go and had to rely on his experience after youthful Peter Ndolo threatened to challenge his move, before he ultimately ran out of steam.
Tactical race
It was a neck to neck race between the two right from the blocks but Ndolo who was second in 14:05.2 started struggling to cope with Kiptoo’s pace with four rounds remained to the end of the race.
Kiptoo later revealed that his plan to win the race had worked perfectly.
"I have realised that Ethiopians always beat us in the last lap of the long distances races and I had paced myself to break away at the end when I’m still strong.
"I’m really glad that it worked. The opposition was strong but they could not match my last kick," he said.
Kiptoo said he is hoping to be in the Kenyan team to the London Olympic later this year and has also predicted a better performance. He however faces stiff challenge from a battery of runners representing the Kenya Police, Kenya Defence Force and the Administration Police alongside those coming through from the branches.
Olympics Games
