Kenyan steeplechase champ robbed at Kampala races
Athletes overcome a huddle during the women’s Under 20 6km race at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships at Kololo grounds in Kampala, Uganda on March 26, 2017. PHOTO | JARED NYATAYA |
What you need to know:
- Chemos lost her Samsung Alpha phone worth Sh50,000 and an unspecified amount of money to thieves as she was cheering Kenya’s junior women’s team at the Kololo Independence Grounds.
- Chemos is a policewoman who is also the Athletes’ Representative in Athletics Kenya’s executive.
Kenya’s 2013 world 3,000 metres steeplechase champion Milcah Chemos’s moment of glory with Team Kenya at last Sunday’s World Cross Country Championships in Kampala was dampened when thieves made away with her mobile phone and cash.
Chemos, a policewoman who is also the Athletes’ Representative in Athletics Kenya’s executive, lost her Samsung Alpha phone worth Sh50,000 and an unspecified amount of money to thieves as she was cheering Kenya’s junior women’s team at the Kololo Independence Grounds.
“I was in a crowd cheering Cellphine Chespol and urging her to tighten her steps to beat her Ethiopian rival who was in front when I realised something was wrong with my handbag,” said Chemos.
Chespol ended up winning bronze after losing the battle against Ethiopians Letesenbet Gidey, who retained her title, with compatriot Hawi Feysa taking silver.
Chemos said she noticed some boys running away, but her efforts to alert policemen who were nearby proved futile. “They just looked at me saying there is nothing they could do with some even laughing,” explained Chemos, who opted to watch all the races before she went to report.
“They only offered to direct me to a post where they took ages to take my statement," said Chemos.
Chemos, the 2009 Berlin and 2011 Daegu World 3,000m steeplechase silver medallist, said that her efforts stopped when the cops told her that they could only make further follow up after she secured a sworn affidavit from the courts.
