Mutunga and Chelang’at win Nairobi races

The 2011 World Cross Country junior bronze medallist Patrick Mutunga and 2007 Africa Youth 1,500 metres silver medallist Joyline Chelang’at won this year’s Athletics Kenya (AK) Nairobi Cross Country Championships on Saturday.

Mutunga, also the 2011 World Youth Championships 3,000m silver medallist, braved the hot and windy conditions to win in 28 minutes and 11.2 seconds at Posta grounds on Ngong Road.

The men’s 10 kilometre race appeared too close to call till the last lap, when Kamukunji’s Mutunga stepped on the gas,  leaving Hillary Maiyo (Lang’ata) and Wilson Meli (Starehe) gasping for breath.

 Maiyo (28:59.4) finished second and Meli (29:16.7) third to make the Nairobi team for the National Cross Country Championships due for Uhuru Gardens on February 13.

The national team to the Africa Cross Country Championships in Yaoundé, Cameroon, on March 12 will be selected at the nationals.

“I hope to represent Kenya once again” said Mutunga. “I want a top podium finish this time.”

Besides finishing fifth in the Machakos leg of the AK Cross Country Series, he was second in the 10km race of the Mombasa Marathon and fourth in the South Imenti 10km race last year.

Chelang’at, who had the previous day finished 19th in the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) Cross Country in Nyahururu, clocked 34:07.2, beating  Lang’ata’s Susan Kosgei (34:25.1) and Westlands’ Emily Samoei (34:36.3) to the title. Africa Youth 2,000m steeplechase silver medallist Edwin Kibet (22:31.5) called the shots in the junior men’s 8km.

“I want to perform well at the nationals, then focus on the Africa Cross and the World Junior Championships,” said Kibet, who beat his Lang’ata teammate Philip Tarus (22:37.7) and Meshak Letim (22:43.5) to the top prize.

Running a gun-to-tape race, World Youth 2,000m steeplechase champion Celliphine Chespol (19:39.7) won the junior women’s 6km. The Riruta Central form three student’s teammate, Winfred Mutile (19:58.4), was second.