Kemboi strikes gold as Kenya rule in steeplechase
File | nation
Richard Kipkemboi Mateelong and compatriot Ezekiel Kemboi (right) during the 3,000 steeplechase final at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin last year. Kemboi was second to Mateelong at the recent Africa Championships in Nairobi but while Mateelong has been picked to the Africa team for the World Cup, Kemboi has been overlooked by the selectors.
What you need to know:
- Mateloong settles for silver as France’s Tahri returns third to spoil a clean sweep
Kenyans will be joined by Catalans in celebrating Ezekiel Kemboi’s world 3,000 metres steeplechase victory after the former Olympic champion finally bagged the elusive World Championships title and celebrated wearing a Barcelona Football Club jersey at the Berlin Olympic Stadium last night.
It was a 1-2 finish for Kenya with Olympic bronze medallist Richard Mateelong bagging the silver while Paul Kipsiele Koech was piped to the bonze medal as France, for the second time in as many years, denied Kenya a steeplechase sweep at a major championship.
Frenchman Bouadellah Tahri dug in to pip Kemboi at the line and take the final podium place.
At last year’s Beijing Olympics, another Frenchman Mahiedine Mekhissi-Bennabad grabbed the silver between Kenya’s golde medallist Brimin Kipruto and bronze medallist Mateelong.
Kemboi’s winning time was a new championship record of eight minutes, 00.43 seconds while Mateelong ran a personal best 8:00.89.
Tahri clocked 8:01.18, a new European record. Surprisingly, Kenya’s Olympic champion Brimin Kipruto faded away and finished seventh in 8:12.61 obviously suffering some discomfort.
“Everything went according to plan and I’m happy that I have finally bagged the world title. It was tough,” said Kemboi who spotted a new hairdo with a Nike swoosh at the back of his head. Mateelong was elated.
Exchanged Kenyan jersey
“I’m very happy because I have improved from the bronze medal I won to the Olympics to a silver. Anything is possible now because if I can move from bronze to silver, then as well I can move from silver to gold,” the Kenya Police officer said. It was a 1-2 finish for the Kenya Police too as Kemboi is a member of the force.
Kipsiele did most of the work, going ahead from the gun with South Africa’s Ruben Ramolefi going along with him before succumbing to the very fast pace.
Koech cleared the first 1,000 metres in 2:41.91 and was still ahead at 5:22.75 at 2,000 metres when Mateelong joined the lead pack that also included Tahri. It was at this point that Kipruto dropped off the pace and fell some 20 metres behind the lead pack.
Kemboi made his move at the bell and went all the way to the championship record and gold medal. A Barcelona FC fan from the crowd threw him a Lionel Messi T-shirt which Kemboi grabbed and exchanged with his famous Kenyan jersey to the delight of the young man.
Kemboi will become an instant hero among the die-hard Catalan fans after this gesture and he will earn more respect back home in Kenya after a lukewarm domestic season that he wriggled out of with a season’s best time of 7:58.85, also his personal best time.
“I have to sit down and think,” said South Africa’s Ramolefi on his decision to take the front early.
“I allowed Kemboi to pass me and the Kenyans then kept on blocking me. In South Africa, I’m unchallenged and nobody disturbs me from the front.”
The win increased Kenya’s tally to two gold medals, one silver and one bronze
