Sunday, August 23, 2015

Kenya misfires in the men’s marathon in China

By Citizen Reporter, Citizen Digital


Kenya misfires in the men's marathon in China
Kenya had a false start at the World Athletics Championships in China failing to bag a medal in the men’s marathon on Saturday 22 August,2015 despite fielding two of the fastest marathoners in the world.
Dennis Kimetto and Wilson Kipsang failed to finish the men’s 42km race as Mark Korir struggled to finish 22nd.
The men’s marathon was the first gold medal event at the world athletics championships in Beijing with East African athletes led by marathon record holder Dennis Kimetto and Olympic bronze medalist Wilson Kipsang and defending world champion Ugandan Stephen Kiprotich the favorites to bag gold.
The first 5km was dominated by Shumi Dechasa of Bahrain who surged ahead with Kenyan Mark Korir tracking him.
But as the race progressed the sweltering conditions seemed to take a toll on the Kenyans as they continued to fall further back with Kimetto who set a world record time in Berlin last year, a pale shadow of his record performing show in England.
At the half way Mark Kipsang was the leading Kenyan but he had his work cut out with 6 other athletes ahead of him, two Italians Dannielle Meucci and Rugero Purtile decided to upset the form book and surged ahead after 25km.
Their advantage was short-lived as Lesotho’s Tsepo Ramonene took up the helm with 7km to go.
Surprisingly no Kenyan athlete was within sight.
Ramonene was on the verge of making history for Lesotho but 19 year old Eritrean Ghibray Gebhreselassie had other plans as he timed his race to perfection to grab his country’s first world marathon title in a slow time of 2 hours 12 min and 28 seconds.
Ethiopia’s Yemenay Tsegay finished second while Ugandan Solomon Munyo Mutai finished third.
Kimetto and Kipsang failed to finish while Korir crossed the line in position 22, a far cry from previous world championships.

By Bernard Ndong
http://citizentv.co.ke/sports/kenya-fails-to-sparkle-at-world-athletics-championships-china/

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