Kenya’s best showing in 16 years

After a 16- year wait, Kenya runners swept all before them taking all individual and team titles on offer in Poland as the curtains came down on this year’s World Cross Country Championship. Kenya won nine out of the 12 available medals under the individual category, and scooped the top four spots in the team title.

First it was Mercy Cherono, who raced to the gold in the junior women race with Purity Cherotich and Esther Chemutai. Then came Caleb Mwangangi, Clement Lagat and Japheth Korir in the junior men race. It was six out of six medals.

In the senior races, Emily Chebet Muge won gold ahead of Linet Masai while Meselech Melkamu took the bronze. Joseph Ebuya claimed the men's 12km gold leaving Teklemariam Medhin (Eritrea) and Moses Kipsiro (Uganda) for the silver and bronze.

It was in Budapest, Hungary in 1994 that Paul Tergat won his first 12km senior men medal. The same year, Kenya swept all the medals available with Helen Chepngeno taking the senior women.

Selling charcoal

But when Tergat stepped off in 2000 in Vilamoura, Portugal, no Kenyan had been able to win the senior men race. However, Joseph Ebuya, who gave up selling charcoal in Nanyuki to try his hand in athletics, is the new champion. It was also the year that Ebuya beat Kenenisa Bekele, the Ethiopian cross country legend in Edinburgh, Poland.

Many did not give him support, but silenced his critics when he crossed the line here in Poland in a time of 33:00. “I had said it and I knew I meant it,” said Ebuya. “I had done well in training and I knew I was in good shape to win here. The presence or absence of Bekele could not have changed anything, after all I had beaten him in Edinburgh.”

Losing battle

Medhin was second after losing the battle in the final 200m to settle for silver in 33:06 ahead of bronze medallist Kipsiro from Uganda who finished in 33:06. Leonard Komon, will have to settle for the second year in a row with a fourth finish position. He was credited to have the same time as Kipsiro. He beat Samuel Tsegay of Eritrea to fifth in 33.27 while Hasan Mahboob was sixth in 33:28.

And for the majority who feared that the return of Tirunesh Dibaba, the Olympic 10,000m champion would see Kenya loosen its firm grip on the senior women crown, they will have to wait until next year to see if it will indeed happen. Kenya Armed Forces Lineth Chepkurui was the sacrificial lamb in the race as she was used to set the pace. And when she relaxed, Dibaba made an attempt to keep up with the lead pack of Linet Masai and Emily Muge, but could only succeed to get fourth position in 24:38 as compatriot Meselech Melkamu took bronze.

Muge, returning to cross country after Mombasa 2007, was the winner in 24:19 beating Masai with a strong sprint in the final straight. Masai, was forced to pick another silver, similar to that in Amman as she finished in 24:20 with Melkamu becoming the only Ethiopian to have lifted the individual medal, a bronze in 24:26.

Muge has succeeded to write her name among Kenya’s great cross country runners and joins Florence Kiplagat  and Helen Chepngeno as the only Kenyans to have won the senior women race. “I wanted to win and am happy that it finally happened. It was tough, I had ran three cross country races before and was never able to be on the podium. Today, my daughter home must be happy on seeing me run and winning here,” said Muge.