Kipngeno adds global medal in Thailand mountain running

Patrick Kipngeno has added another medal to his gallery after bagging silver at the men's Up and Down Mountain race at the inaugural World Mountain and Trail Running Championship in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Kipngeno clocked 40:12 to finish in second place behind winner Uganda's Samuel Kibet who was ten seconds faster than the Kenyan.

Kibet led Uganda to a 1- 3 fonish in the senior category as Timothy Toroitich clocked 40:26 for bronze in a race that had four of the top five finishers coming from Uganda. 

Kibet also led Uganda to a double with Rebecca Cheptai winning the women's senior race in 46:25 as compatriot Annet Chelagat came home second in 46:52. Allie McLaughlin added to USA's medal tally and her own with bronze in 48:31. 

Kipngeno, Kiriago lead Kenya's hunt for medals in Thailand at mountain running championships

The Ugandas also dominated the junior Up and Down Mountain men's race category accepting the first four places as Leonard Chemutai won in 21:07. 

On Saturday, trail action was in the spotlight where the 12 individual medals were shared between athletes from nine different nations.

Blandine L'Hirondel of France retained her title in the women’s long trail race in Chiang Mai, while USA’s Adam Peterman claimed the crown in the men’s event. 

The short trail titles were won by Norway’s Stian Angermund and Denisa Dragomir of Romania.

The long trail races saw athletes tackle an 80km course featuring more than 4900m of elevation gain and L'Hirondel again stamped her authority in the women’s event. 

Sweden’s Ida Nilsson led the race until the final 1000m climb that would take athletes from 60km to the 66km mark before the last largely downhill section. 

But L'Hirondel caught and then passed her over the course of the climb and went on win by more than 12 minutes, clocking 8:22:14 to add another world title to the gold she claimed in 2019 as well as the bronze she secured in the World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships that same year.

Nilsson held on to second spot, securing silver in 8:34:59, while bronze went to Spain’s Gemma Arenas Alcazar in 8:46:27.

That final 1000m climb also made the difference in the men’s race, as it saw Peterman move further away from France’s Nicolas Martin to eventually triumph by almost 13 minutes and gain USA a second individual gold in Chiang Mai after McLaughlin’s classic uphill mountain race win on day one.

Additional information by World Athletics