Kipkoech, Chepkemoi bag more medals for Kenya in Lima

Denis Kipkoech clocked 8:20.56 to settle for silver in men’s 3000m at the ongoing World Athletics U20 Championships in Lima as Diana Chepkemoi settled for bronze in women’s 3000m.

Kipkoech finished behind Norwegian Andreas Fjeld Halvorsen (8:20.56), with Great Britain’s Edward Bird completing the podium places in 8:21.00.

“It was not a walk in the park. I had to fight to be on the podium. Clinton Kimutai and I wanted to have teamwork at the event, but that did not work, so I decided to take the race head-on for the second position,” offered Kipkoech.

After a pedestrian first kilometer, the gears slowly began to shift midway through the race, and with just over a kilometer to run, Kimutai launched a vicious surge. He was joined at the front by Kipkoech with a lap left but faded through the field on the back straight, with Kipkoech looking the likely winner at that point. The Norwegian pounced on the final bend and powered clear to a memorable gold.

Meanwhile, Sembo Almayew lived up to her billing in fine style to become the first-ever Ethiopian world U20 women’s steeplechase champion. The Paris Olympian surged clear of her chief rival Loice Chekwemoi of Uganda on the penultimate lap to come home in 9:12.71.

Adding gold to her silver in this event from two years ago, she also took 0.07 off the championship record set by Celliphine Chespol in 2018. Chekwemoi clocked 9:18.84 in second, with Chepkemoi taking bronze in a personal best time of 9:29.84.

Elsewhere, Africa 800m champion Sarah Moraa, Kelvin Kimutai Koech, and Phanuel Kipkosgei Koech qualified to compete in the 800m final set for Friday, 30 August.

Moraa crossed the finish line first in 2:03.44, ahead of Italian Lorenza de Noni (2:04.21) and Ethiopian Aster Areri (2:04.58), and will be Kenya’s sole representative in the two-lap race.

In the men’s category, Koech finished second in heat one after clocking 1:47.53 behind Australian Peyton Craig (1:47.31) and American Daniel Watcke (1:47.68).

On his part, Kipkosgei ran from the front to win heat three at 1:48.24, followed by Japan’s Ko Ochiai, who clocked 1:48.26.

In the 3,000m women, the Kenyan pair of Mercy Chepkemoi and Marion Jepngetich qualified for the final.

Paralympic: Kenya in pursuit of gold in action packed day