Cheruiyot strikes gold to end Ethiopian rule, Kirui claims marathon glory

• Top cop wrests 5,000 metres title from Defar, compatriot Kibet bags the silver

BERLIN Saturday

Kenyan policewomen, Vivian Cheruiyot and Sylvia Kibet, last night arrested Ethiopia’s dominance in distance running at the world championships here, bagging gold and silver on a good day of harvest that started off with Administration Police officer Abel Kirui striking the marathon gold and team-mate Emmanuel Mutai taking silver.

Cheruiyot’s was Kenya’s first ever gold medal in the women’s 5,000m, a race that has been dominated by Ethiopians since Tirunesh Dibaba emerged in 2003 to take the gold in Paris.

Dibaba won the championship again in Helsinki (2005) but her dominance was ended by compatriot Meseret Defar who won the title in Osaka in 2007 with Cheruiyot settling for silver and Kibet finishing fourth behind bronze medallist Prisca Jepleting.

But last night roles were reversed with Cheruiyot and Kibet working brilliantly as a team to take the first two places in 14 minutes, 57.97 and 14:58.33 respectively, Kibet beating a tiring Defar at the line.

“In Osaka I won silver and now I have the gold. I’m delighted,” said Cheruiyot who is attached to the CID department of the police force. “We had good teamwork and I’m happy to have won this medal for my country. I thank the Kenya Police force for giving us time to train and go for competitions.”

Took up Dutch citizenship

The third Kenyan in the team, Iness Chenonge, finished sixth in 15:06.06.

“Our aim was to run as a team until the fifth lap and when I saw Vivian was still strong, I kept on pushing her and that’s how we won the gold and silver,” said Kibet, whose sister, Hilda, took up Dutch citizenship and is the current European cross-country champion.

Defar congratulated the Kenyans and said she was unwell leading up to the race. “When I came last week I slept with the air condition on and when I woke up I was not feeling too bad. It hit me later, after the 10,000m, and I have been on medication until last night,” Defar said.

The wins took Kenya up to third place with four gold, four silver and two bronze medals, behind leaders USA (7-5-5) and Jamaica (7-3-2).

Dibaba, who like Defar was chasing a double in the 10,000m and 5,000m at these championships, pulled out with injury while her sister, world junior cross country champion Genzebe Dibaba, was eighth. Ethiopia’s silver medallist in the 10,000m, Meselech Melkamu, was fifth behind compatriot Sentayehu Ejigu.