Commonwealth Games: Kenya relinquishes 10,000m title in Gold Coast Club Games

Uganda escalates cross-border rivalry

Home girl Ndiwa second best as neighbours Chesang and Chelangat steal the thunder from Kenyans.

First it was Stephen Kiprotich in Marathon at the 2012 London Olympics. On Sunday, Joshua Cheptegei won a maiden gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in men’s 5,000m. And yesterday their women snatched the 10,000m gold and bronze leaving Kenya to settle for silver.

It used to be Ethiopia providing stiff competition, but now neighbours Uganda, too, are banging at the door seeking to join the global distance running party for which Kenya has been a dominant force.

With Ethiopia not taking part in Gold Coast, Australia, because they are not among the Commonwealth nations, Uganda have emerged as worthy competitors thanks to the Kalenjin-speaking Sebei people of Eastern Uganda, one of the seven sub-clans that make up the Sabaot, who straddle the Kenya-Uganda border around Mt Elgon.