M. KisengeWU20: Chelangat delivers first gold medal for Team Kenya as men see dust in 5000m
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Reading Time: 2min | Tue. 02.08.22. | 08:55
Kenya won two medals on day one of the championship.
Betty Chelangat ensured that the Kenyan national anthem was blasted on day one of 19th edition of the World Athletics Under 20 Championships after coasting to victory in 3000m final in Cali, Colombia.
Chelangat who unleashed a might kick in the final bend clocked 9:01.03 to give Kenya the first medal in the championship that got underway on Monday evening. She crossed the line ahead of Tsiyon Abebe of Ethiopia who took bronze after timing 9:03.85.
The race also produced the second medal for the country as Nancy Cherop finished third after stopping the clock in 9:05.9.
Kenya’s bid to get the second gold medal was however did not bear fruit as Ethiopian and Eritrean athletes swept the three top places in the boys 5000m final.
Earlier this morning, Kenya’s Betty Chelangat produced a powerful display to take the first gold medal of the U-20 championships, winning the women’s 3000m with a killer kick. Ethiopia’s Tsiyon Abebe (silver) and Kenya’s Nancy Cherop (bronze) #TeamKenya #cali22. pic.twitter.com/YsEpRnso07
— Athletics Kenya (@athletics_kenya) August 2, 2022
The title was in the custody of Benson Kiplagat who has since upgraded to the senior level.
Addisu Yihune of Ethiopia ran away with gold after clocking 14:03.05 with Merhawi Mebrahtu and Habtom Samuel bot of Eritrea settling for silver and bronze in 14:03.33 and 14:03.67 respectively.
Kenya had paraded the duo of Samuel Kibathi and Nelson Mandela in the race. The two finished a distant sixth and eighth respectively. Kibathi clocked 14:07.82 while Mandela timed 14:13.21.
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