Kenyatta University's Wanza bags gold as Lemerian, Ngeno win silver

Makerere's Frankline Natumanya (left) and Rose Kabei of Kenyatta University (KU) during their match KU Sports Complex on Tuesday. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

Diana Wanza of Kenyatta University clocked 17:07.44 in women’s 5,000m to win gold at the ongoing All Africa University Games in Nairobi yesterday.

The third year Bachelor of Education student was followed by Julian Lariba of Ghana’s University of

Education Winneba (UNEDW) in 17:53.56 as Nkuma Welma of Johannesburg University (South Africa) finished third in 18:05.34.

“I kept pushing hard in the race, I believed something good was waiting for me if I won the race,” Wanza told Standard Sports.

Gideon Lemerian of Dedan Kimathi University of Technology clocked 04:01.87 to strike silver in the hotly contested men’s 1,500m final.

Lemerian came second behind Charles Baah of UNEDW who triumphed in 04:01.60 as Aziz Mohamed of University of Ghana came third in 04:02.44.

“I had prepared for the race well, it was a good run for me, I practiced enough last week before I came to Nairobi for these games,” Lemerian said.

“I won a scholarship race at Kip Keino Stadium in Eldoret last Friday which I used to prepare for the championships.”

Just like Lemerian, Emmanuel Ngeno of Kenyatta University also missed gold after coming second in 30:27.8 in men’s 10,000m finals. The race was won by Dismas Yeko of Uganda’s Ndejje University who clocked 29:12.1. William Amponsah of UNEDW came third in 31:20.9.

No Kenyan made it to the medal bracket in the men’s 400m hurdles which was won by Busani Ndlovu of South Africa in 53.92.

It was also the same case in women’s 1500m final which was bagged by Tenebeb Nega of Ethiopia’s Addis Ababa University.