Tarbei strikes gold in 800m ahead of Bett in Colombia

Kenyan athletes showed their prowess in middle-distance running on Saturday, picking up three medals  at the Pascual Gurrero Stadium on the fourth day of the 2015 IAAF World Championships here in Colombia.

Willy Tarbei won the men’s 800m title in 1min,45.58secs, beating Africa champion Kipyegon Bett (1:45.86) to silver. Bett won the Africa Youth title in 1:51.67 in April in Mauritius.

However, the results in Cali were a replica of the Kenyan trials where  Tarbei had won in 1:44.51, beating Bett 1:44.55.

Ethiopia’s Omer Amamo, previously considered as the biggest threat for Kenya, could not take the heat and thus finished fourth in 1.49.11 after Brazilian Luis Fernando Peres a surprisingly took bronze.

“The gun went off and we were leading, then the bell went and I still felt very strong. I looked at my team mate and he was right behind me and we went for it. My friends back at home should be smiling now,” Tarbei, who trains in Iten, said.

Kenyan athletes wrapped up the day’s proceedings with bronze medal in women’s 1,500m race that came through Joyline Cherotich.

Cherotich ran a personal best 4min,15.20secs to finish third.

Cherotich had to sprint from the back to save Kenya from missing out on the podium places in 1,500m. Until the last 600 metres, Cherotich, a student at Winners Girls High School, shot to the leading pack after realising that pre-race favourite Janeth Jepng’etich was struggling.

“We had agreed to exchange leads and have anyone keeping up with us but this did not materialise. Along the way, I realised that she (Jepng’etich) was weak as our rivals surged ahead, that’s when I took up the challenge,” Cherotich, who finised 12th at the World Cross-country Championships junior race in March, said.

Ethiopia won 1,500m gold through Bedatu Hirpa (4.12.92) followed by Dalila Gosa (4.15.20) of Bahrain and Cherotich. Chepng’etich who had the fastest in the final, came fifth in 4.19.93.