More medals for Kenyans in Abidjan, Ivory Coast

Athletics - IAAF Diamond League Final - King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium - August 31, 2018 Kenya's Beatrice Chepkoech and Fancy Cherono in action during the women's 3000m steeplechase. [Reuters]

Kenya continued with its medal harvest on Thursday at the ongoing Africa Under-20 and Under-18 Championships in Abidjan, Ivory Coast with Youth Olympics 2,000m steeplechase champion Fancy Cherono and Emmanuel Kiplagat striking gold.

Cherono, who also represented Kenya at last year’s Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast where she finished sixth in 3,000m steeplechase, won the race in 9:48.56 in the Under-20 women event ahead of the 2017 World Under-18 2,000m steeplechase champion Caren Chebet who won silver.

Emmanuel Kiplagat proved too strong for Ethiopian Gezamegin Fantahun to win gold in boy’s 3000m race. Fantahun (8:14.51) won silver ahead of Kenyan Gideon Rono who settled for bronze, after clocking 8:17.83.

Kenya also won a rare medal when Dennis Kipchirchir bagged silver in men’s Under-20 triple jump. Ethiopian Adire Ochalla won gold.

The five medals take Kenya’s total medal tally to nineteen with seven gold, nine silver and three bronze.

Athletics Kenya Youth Committee chairman Barnaba Korir attributes the team’s performance to hard work and winning mentality among the athletes and his committee members: “We work hard as Youth Committee and we have a very dedicated, cohesive group and hardworking athletes.”

World under-18 and Under-20 1,500m champion George Manangoi who won on gold on the second day of the championship attributed the performance to teamwork.

“We trained together throughout the training period, we agreed to help each and run as a team to ensure we deliver 1-2 finish for our country,” Manangoi said.

Meanwhile, six global champions were in City Centre Doha on Thursday for the opening ceremony of the IAAF Heritage World Athletics Championships Exhibition. The exhibition celebrates the history of the World Championships.