EXCITING MOMENT: Kirui and Jepleting win KDF cross country meeting at Kahawa

Geoffery Kirui of Moi Air Base leads his team-mates Mark Kiptoo (left) and Leonard Oloitiptip in during the Kenya Defence Forces Cross Country Championship at Kahawa Garrison in Nairobi on 16-01-2015. Geoffery Kirui won the race in time of 35:58.0. PHOTO/DENNIS OKEYO

The triumphs of 2012 IAAF World Junior Championships 10,000m bronze medalist Geoffrey Kirui and little-known Sela Jepleting provided exciting headlines at the 35th Kenya Defence Forces cross-country meeting at Kahawa Barracks, Nairobi, on Friday.

Kirui, who finished 12th at the 2013 World Cross-Country Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland, produced a sudden burst of speed in the homestretch to upset reigning Frankfurt marathon champion Mark Kiptoo in a tough three-way battle that also had champion Leonard Oloitiptip in the windswept 12km race at the Kahawa Garrison circuit.

Kirui, the 2012 IAAF world junior championships 10,000m bronze medalist, stormed into the lead in the four-kilometre point even as the top guns, among them former world cross-country bronze medalist Vincent Kiprop Chepkok, kept falling off the pace.

It turned anybody’s race between the three as they approached the final 2km until Kirui engaged an electric pace to win the blue-riband 12km race in 35:58.0 with Kiptoo a second behind and Oloitiptip six seconds in arrears.

Kiplimo Kimutai, a member of the Kenyan team to the 2009 world half marathon in Birmingham, returned fourth in 36:09.5 ahead of Moscow’s world 5,000m competitor John Chepkwony (36:13.4) and Arita Stephen (36:27.0).

MAB’s Kirui said: “I cannot believe I have beaten these strong runners. I trained well and that’s why I could keep up the high pace.”

But Kiptoo still wants to fulfill his career-long goal of winning a global medal. He will turn 39 two months before Beijing in August and, if selected, he will be the oldest man to win a medal in marathon in the history of the World Championships.

Kiptoo said: “I had encouraging team members but, as a marathoner, I could not beat these young athletes. If I am selected into the national team to the IAAF World Championships, I will keep focus as usual.”

There were no surprises also in the women’s races with Sela Jepleting, who bowed out in the semi-final at the 2013 IAAF World Championships in Moscow in 1,500m, chalking up 8km victory in 26:25.5.

Jepleting was irresistible, pushing hard from two kilometres to take her third victory this season – after Nyahururu and Machakos AK cross-country meetings. Gladys Cherono, the world championships 10,000m silver medalist, returned second in 26:25.7, as New York Marathon runner-up Jemimah Chelagat (26:47.2) sealed the podium places.

The Lanet barracks-based Jepleting said: “This is my year. Watch out. I have been doing 300m intervals to sharpen my speed and I now target the world cross-country meetings.”