Cheruiyot upstages Kiprop over 1,500m at Nyayo

What you need to know:

  • Nyairera clocked 2:00.05 to win, beating Emily Cherotich and Eglay Nalinaya in 2:00.21 and 2:02.19.
  • Kimeli timed 27:53.67 to win men’s 10,000m ahead of Vincent Rono and Matthew Kisorio in 27:53.84 and 27:53.99. Kasait won the 5,000m race in 15:53.4.

Africa 1,500m silver medallist Timothy Cheruiyot lit the final day of the National Athletics Championships on Saturday when he stunned three times World 1,500m champion Asbel Kiprop to win men’s 1,500m title at the Nyayo National Stadium.

The day saw Olympic 800m bronze medallist Margaret Nyairera (Prisons) live up to her billing to crush the field for her maiden national women’s 800m crown as Patrick Kimeli (South Rift) ruled to roost in men’s 10,000m final. World Cross Country bronze medallist Lilian Kasait (Police) reigned to clinch her maiden national women’s 5,000m title as World Cross Country mixed relays gold medallist Beatrice Chepkoech (Police), who is also a 3,000m steeplechase specialist, stole the show in women’s 1,500m final.

The 2013 World Under-20 3,000m steeplechase silver medallist Marion Kibor (Kenya Defence Forces-KDF) won women’s 3,000m steeplechase final with Franklin Ngelel going for men’s 5,000m top honours.

Kiprop (Police) hit the front at the bell but a tactical Cheruiyot (Prisons), who had taken the lead in the initial stages of the race, blasted to the front with 300 meters to go and never looked back to triumph in   3:41.0. Justus Soget (central Rift) came in second in 3:41.5 followed by Kiprop in 3:42.6.

“It was a good raced, I wanted to test my body and it feels great,” said Cheruiyot, who will be heading for the Stockholm Diamond League meeting on June 18 before returning for the World Championships trials on June 23-24 in Nairobi.

“I started my training late and I you could see, I still have some weight to shade off,” said Kiprop.

Nyairera clocked 2:00.05 to win, beating Emily Cherotich and Eglay Nalinaya in 2:00.21 and 2:02.19 while Kimeli timed 27:53.67 to win men’s 10,000m ahead of Vincent Rono and Matthew Kisorio in 27:53.84 and 27:53.99. Kasait won the 5,000m race in 15:53.4.