OREGON22: Mburu delivers silver for Kenya as Cheptegei defends 10,000m title

He was tripped, more than once, in the early stages of the World Athletics Championships 10,000m men's race, fell and had to race with a gaping wound, but that did not stop 22-year old Stanley Waithaka Mburu from producing a massive performance for silver in a star-studded field. 

Lining up against the defending champion Joshua Cheptegei, Olympics champion Selemon Barega, Olympics bronze medalist and half marathon record holder Jacob Kiplimo as well as 2019 world bronze medalist Rodgers Kwemoi served as motivation for Mburu who clocked 27:27.90 to grab Kenya's third medal at the championship. 

The Japan-based Mburu first enjoyed international success at home as Kenya hosted the 2017 World U-18 championships, winning bronze behind champion Barega and compatriot Edward Zakayo in the men's 3000m.

In Finland at the World Under-20 Championships 2018, he upgraded the bronze to silver in 5000m, finishing behind Zakayo as Barega failed to medal. He moved to the senior ranks and has made it another silver in Oregon.

Defending champion Cheptegei, who was put under immense pressure by the loaded field unleashed a killer kick to manage 27:27.43 as Kiplimo completed the podium places in 27:27.97 to hand Uganda the 1-3. 

At four minutes past the hour (23:04) the gun went and all 24 men had one target in mind, to be crowned world champion. 

66.7 seconds for the first lap and the field had been split into a single file this early on in the race, a totally different scenario from the women's race on Saturday night.

Barega made his move to the front alongside teammate Tadese Worku in the first eight minute of running, placing himself just behind the Ugandan pair of Cheptegei and Stephen Kissa who had assumed the pace setting duties, taking over from Spain's Carlos Mayo. 

The Kenyans followed suit, after running in the middle of the pack for about ten minutes but in the eleventh made a move to the front, placing themselves just behind the Ethiopians and Ugandans. 

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With the halfway mark quickly approaching, Barega moved to the front and stepped up the pace but Uganda's Kiplimo, for the first time took the lead and it was game on as the race was turned up a notch and the field was back to a single file. 

Eighteen minutes into the race, Cheptegei took the lead from teammate Kiplimo as the Kenyan trio raced behind Barega who was in second place, with Daniel Mateiko slightly ahead. 

Six laps to run and the pace had slowed a fraction and the runners were back into a hundle even as the Kenya trio was now split, Mateiko taking third place while Mburu and Kwemoi had been relegated to the middle of the pack with the latter struggling to stay with the pace. 

Mburu, who had been tripped early in the race and almost fell was ahead with two laps to race but took the bell in third place, having to put up an astonishing finishing kick to settle for silver behind the defending champion.