Milcah Chemos set for second world steeplechase title

IN MONTE CARLO, MONACO

Kenya's Milcah Chemos Cheywa was celebrating her second world steeplechase title on Sunday after the IAAF belatedly elevated her to gold medal position following the disqualification of the race's gold and silver medallists for doping.

And as she celebrated, IAAF President Seb Coe and newly appointed chief executive Olivier Gers announced they were making efforts to push the sport to be among the top four most popular sports globally.

They spoke a day after the IAAF adopted a raft of changes to rid the sport of its erstwhile dented image following widespread doping and corruption allegations.

Chemos, only last month appointed to the Athletics Kenya executive committee as athletes' representative, was overjoyed by the decision announced here on Saturday night by Coe, the President of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), at the end of the world track and field organisation's congress that also launched major reforms in the sport.

Chemos finished third in the 3,000 metres steeplechase at the 2009 IAAF World Championships in Berlin behind Spain's Marta Dominguez, who won the race in nine minutes, 7.32 seconds, a Spanish record and the fourth fastest ever time then, and Russia's Yuliya Zarudneva.

However, on November 19, 2015, the Court of Arbitration in Sport (CAS) found Dominguez guilty of a doping violation and stripped her the gold medal, elevating Zarudneva to gold and Chemos to silver.

Zarudneva, now known as Zaripova, had also been handed a doping ban which initially excluded the Berlin championships.

But on Saturday, Chemos was elevated once again, this time to the gold medal position after the IAAF announced that the Russian had been stripped of her Berlin gold.

Chemos has taken the bronze in what was then her personal best time of 9:08.57.

IAAF President Coe, who has been fighting to rid the sport of an image tainted by doping allegations and corruption at its Monaco headquarters, handed the gold medal to Athletics Kenya President Jack Tuwei at a farewell dinner that followed the IAAF Congress at the Fairmont Hotel on Saturday night.

"What I have learnt is that a genuine name and personality will always remain," a delighted Chemos said.

"Athletes should learn a lesson from these dopers that whatever you take, it will always come out, however, long. Shortcuts are not the way."

Chemos has since quit the steeplechase due to a back injury and announced that she will instead focus on the 5,000 and 10,000 metres seeking to qualify for the World Championships in London in August next year.

She ranks her gold medal run at the 2013 World Championships in Moscow as the highlight of her steeplechase career.

"Because in Moscow at least my family and my country saw the flag being raised up and I felt the greatness in me," the policewoman said.

A delighted Tuwei, who was accompanied by AK chief executive Susan Kamau, said the handing of the gold to Chemos was a demonstration that Kenyan athletes are clean and praised Chemos for the role she has played as champion and mentor to young athletes.

He said AK will continue fighting for justice and recalled the elevation of Kenya's Asbel Kiprop to gold medal status for the 1,500m race at the Beijing 2008 Olympics after Morocco-born initial winner Rashid Ramzi of Bahrain was busted for doping.

"This goes to show our athletes are clean and are running clean and it gives us lots of confidence and in as much as we have been doubted on claims of doping, they are very few. They have been banned and those who are remaining are clean athletes, most of our athletes are clean,” he said.

AK is expected to hand the gold medal to Chemos during the AK Awards Gala on Thursday in Nairobi.

On Saturday, IAAF also handed over at least 10 medals that were reassigned after several athletes were found to have violated doping regulations.