Monday, October 11, 2010

Unbeatable Kenyans sweep the podium again

It was a clean Kenyan podium sweep in the men's 3,000m steeplechase at the ongoing Commonwealth Games in New Delhi as Richard Mateelong led the Kenyan onslaught coming in first ahead of compatriots Ezekiel Kemboi and Brimin Kipruto.

Mateelong fresh from winning the Africa senior Athletics Championships shone in the rather slow race clocking 8 minutes 16.39 seconds ahead of world champion Ezekiel Kemboi and Olympic Champion Brimin Kipruto who came in second and third respectively.

In a race with a top quality field, the Kenyans matched the clean sweep exploits of their women counterparts -- Milcah Cheywa, Mercy Njoroge and Gladys Kipkemoi -- who achieved the same feat on Sunday.

Kenya has won every Commonwealth men's steeplechase final since 1990.

The surprise was world championship silver medallist Mateelong getting the better of his more illustrious countrymen, in particular Kipruto who is the fastest man in the world over the distance this year.

It was a huge victory with Mateelong taking the lead with one lap to go and never relinquishing it.

The gold rush was not over for Kenya on day 8 of the Games, parading its best talent in the women's 800m final.

Olympic champion Nancy Jebet Lagat was at her best form yet again winning the race in a time of 2 minutes 0.01 seconds to add to the Kenyas medal haul.

New Zealand's Hamblin Nikki was second while Canada's Cummins Diane was third.

Winnie Chebet finished last after tripping and falling just a few metres to the finish line.

Nancy Langat's win completed the first double in 800m and 1500m since Kirsty Wade and Steve Cram did in the Women's and Men's events in Edinburgh in 1986.

The race was set up by Tintu Luka of India who set a searing pace to record a time of 57.49 sec in the first 400m

However Kenyans once again failed to tame Ugandan Moses Kipsiro who became the first athlete to do a double in 5,000m and 10,000m at the Commonwealth games for more than 70 years.

Kenyans Daniel Lemashon Salel and Joseph Kiptoo Birech came in second and third respectively.

Kenya is now on 20 medals in total at the Delhi Games, breaking its previous record of 19 medals won in 1994 in Victoria, Canada.

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