By ELIAS MAKORI eliasmakori@yahoo.com Sports Editor, in Daegu
Posted Sunday, August 28 2011 at 22:00
Posted Sunday, August 28 2011 at 22:00
IN SUMMARY
- Not even failure by the Kenyan trio of Peter Kirui, Paul Tanui and Martin Irungu Mathathi to clinch a medal in men’s 10,000 metres final could take the gloss off the women’s 1-2-3 sweep
Kenyan women runners changed a sermon at the weekend.
Reverend Father Bill Breslin of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic church in Boulder, Colorado in the US, had to change his sermon midstream after Kenya’s Edna Ngerinwony Kiplagat won the women’s marathon gold medal at the World Championships in Athletics here.
It has been a tradition for 32-year-old Kiplagat, a devout Catholic, to visit Fr Breslin’s church for special blessings before embarking on a huge mission, as was the case when she won last year’s Los Angeles Marathon, and again last November, before she went on to clinch the New York Marathon title.
Kiplagat’s victory on Saturday started off what ended up being Kenya’s most successful day ever in women’s athletics, the marathon team sweeping the podium, thanks to silver and bronze medal performances by Paris Marathon champion Prisca Jeptoo and Sharon Cherop, the Toronto Marathon champion.
Six medals
At the end of Saturday, Kenya was on top of the world with a perfect six medals after pint-sized policewoman Vivian Cheruiyot led US-based dark horse Sally Kipyego and defending champion Linet Masai to a sweep of the women’s 10,000 metres title.
Only Catherine Ndereba had won the women’s world marathon title before, twice — in Paris in 2003 and in Osaka four years later — but never before have Kenyan women dominated global competition with such devastating effect.
Not even the failure by the Kenyan trio of Peter Kirui, Paul Tanui and Martin Irungu Mathathi to clinch a medal in yesterday’s men’s 10,000 metres final could take the gloss off the women’s performance.
“Kenya is very strong, congratulations,” is the ubiquitous line the non-English speaking Koreans will greet you with here thanks to Saturday’s performance. Then they will politely ask if you have a Kenyan flag, pin or any Kenyan souvenir.
Kiplagat does some training in Boulder and her American manager, Brendan Reilly, says she is as famous there as in Iten where she lives with her husband, former athlete Gilbert Koech, and their two children.
“After winning the New York Marathon last year, Edna had a special Mass dedicated for her and Fr Breslin made her the subject of her sermon. Now almost everyone in Boulder knows her or knows about Kenya,” Reilly told the Nation.
Cheruiyot will be out to defend her world title in the 5,000m this week and only the brave can wager against her winning. She will become the first Kenyan woman to win two gold medals at the championships.
“The women have opened a window of opportunity for us and we should take advantage and use this window to brand Kenya,” Kenya’s ambassador to South Korea, Ngovi Kitau, said on Sunday.
“They have raised the Kenyan flag sky-high and improved our relations with South Korea almost instantly, through sports,” added Kitau who, along with his very helpful secretary, Korean Heena Suh, has shifted his operations from Seoul to Daegu to make sure all of Team Kenya’s needs are met during the championships.
Indeed, Kenya’s performance attracted keen interest from the Seoul administration. South Korea’s president Li Myung-Bak, impressed by the Kenyan dominance in the marathon, paid a surprise visit on Saturday to the Team Kenya camp at the Athletes’ Village in the Housing Development District of Dong-gu on the outskirts of Daegu city specifically to congratulate the team.
And after Kenya failed to add on to their medals tally yesterday, the hunt continues tomorrow when World Athlete of the Year, David Rudisha, leads Kenya into the final of the 800 metres where he will team up with 2007 World Champion, Alfred Kirwa Yego.
Kenya’s gallant women have indeed played a huge diplomatic and public relations role in South Korea.Kenya’s women will also be out to add another chapter onto Saturday’s script when the 3,000 metres steeplechase team — featuring Africa champion Milcah Chemos Cheywa, Mercy Wanjiku Njoroge and Lydia Chebet Rotich — stroll onto the blue tartan track of the Daegu Stadium as hot favourites for another clean sweep.
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