Chris Musumba
15 July 2008
Bydgoszcz, Poland — Since the World Junior Championships were first held in Athens in 1986, Kenya's performance has always been above average.
Kenya's Mercy Cherono celebrates after winning the 3,000 metres race at the World Junior Athletics Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland, on the final day of competition on Sunday. Photos/IAAF PAP
Twice - in Santiago, Chile (2000) and Beijing, two years ago - Kenyan runners have been able to return home as the best in the world, trouncing track and field bigwig like the United States of America, Russia, Germany, Jamaica and China.
Upon their return to Poland (having been here in 1999 for the World Youth Championships), Kenya posted satisfactory results by finishing third with four gold medals, five silver and two bronze, a great achievement, all the same considering that 183 countries took part in the Poland meet.
Experienced pair
Nelly Chebet was the first to put Kenya on the medals table when she came third in the 5,000m, the first final of the six-day championship clocking 16:17.96 ahead of compatriot Lucia Kamene Muangi (16:25.04).
Ethiopia's experienced pair of Sule Utura (16:15.59) and Genzebe Dibaba (16:16.75) took gold and silver respectively.
A day later, it was time for Kenya to serve their arch-rivals Ethiopia the same dose when national junior champion, Josphat Kipkoech Bett, and Titus Mbishei obliterated Ethiopia's challenge to win the men 10,000m race. To add the icing on the cake, Bett was credited with a new championship record time of 27:30.85 while Mbishei managed to improve his personal best 27:31.65 in his pursuit for the silver medal.
Revenge mission
The World Cross Country Championships eight-kilometre title holder, Ibrahim Jeilan, was forced to take up the bronze in 28:07.98 ahead of compatriot Hunegnaw Mesfin (28:08.58) while Uganda's Stephen Kiprotich (28:10.71) was fifth.
It was a revenge mission for the two Kenyans. Both were in Edinburgh last March with hopes of reclaiming the junior medals at the World Cross Country Championships but were trounced by the same Ethiopian field in what was one of the worst results for Kenya in an event they have dominated for long.
"It was the best revenge for us to execute against the Ethiopians. Now the ghost of Edinburgh is exorcised," said Mbishei.
More upsets were to follow. Christine Kambua Muyanga, who also had a poor season in the cross country, returned to haunt the Ethiopians and claim her first junior gold medal in the women's 3,000m steeplechase in a new championship record time of 9:31.35.
Another Kenyan, Elizabeth Mueni, clinched the silver in her new personal best time of 9:36.50. The Ethiopians pair of Korahubish Itaa (9:37.81, a new Ethiopian record) and Halima Hassen (9:38.44) took the third and fourth slots.
But it was a disaster in the 1,500m race as James Magut lost concentration to allow Algerian Imad Touil to steal the gold from his grip when he clocked 3:47.40.
Magut (3:47.51) had his eye on the Ethiopian Demma Daba (bronze medallist) and reacted too late to the Algerian's charge. Fredrick Musyoki Ndunge, who had done the early pacing, was fourth in 3:48.00.
Winny Chebet, with four medals at both the junior and youth stages, could not get a fifth before she graduates to the senior ranks after she was relegated to fifth in the 800m in 2:04.13. The race was won by Romanian Elena Mirela Lavric (2:00.06) which was new course record.
Abubaker Kaki Khamis, who set a world junior record in the 800m last month and is favourite to win gold at the Olympics, scored an expected victory in the two lap race, although he was given a scare by Geoffrey Kibet.
The Sudanese, who ran 1:42.69 in Oslo, the fastest by any athlete for five years, displayed the confidence of an athlete who was three seconds quicker than the rest of the field as he set off in the lead.
Kenya's national anthem was played again for the third time with the honours going to 3,000m champion, Mercy Cherono.
The Kericho-born runner held on strongly from the second lap to win her race, clocking an impressive 8:58.07, her season's best time.
Jackline Chebii, a sixth place finisher in Edinburgh, did the pacing but paid the price as she was edged out by stronger Ethiopians in the final 80 metres to finish fifth in 9:12.85.
Bizunesh Urgesa (8:58.90) and Frethiwat Goshu 9:03.76 clinched silver and bronze for Ethiopia ahead of Russian Marina Gordeeva (9:11.59), her personal best.
On the last day, Jonathan Muia run his fastest race in the hurdle and water jump to clock 8:17.28, revenging his loss a year ago to the Ethiopians in the 3,000m steeplechase with Uganda's Benjamin Kiplagat taking silver while Patrick Terer of Kenya was happy with the bronze medal.
Muia had finished fourth in the 2,000m steeplechase race at the World Youth Championships in Ostrava, Czech Republic.
But in Bydgoszcz, Muia had his revenge leaving Lamiso in fifth (8:38.34). Kiplagat was second in 8:19.24 (the only medal for Uganda) ahead of Terer's 8:25.14.
Kenya's overall team captain, Mathew Kisorio (13:11.57 - personal best time) was the last to add another jewel in the Kenyan crown by winning a silver medal in the men's 5,000m race behind Ethiopian Abreham Cherkos (13:08.57) while Ethiopia's Dejan Gebremeskel (13:11.97) took the bronze.
It was a competition worth watching and Kenya's probables for the London 2012 Olympic Games proved their potential.
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