Kiplangat wins, Sum continues reign in Morocco

Kenya’s Isaiah Kiplangat competes in men’s 5000m final at the 2013 IAAF World Championship in Moscow on August 16, last year. PHOTO | MOHAMMED AMIN | NATION MEDIA GROUP

By  AYUMBA AYODI

What you need to know:

  • Sum and Kiplangat each earned US$ 30,000 (Sh2.64m) and eight points apiece for Africa team at the Championship that was to end last night. It was a sigh of relief for Kiplangat who had not won a major title over the distance.
  • It was also Kenya’s first championship victory in 5,000m from a global event since Benjamin Limo’s exploits at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki.

Isaiah “The President” Kiplangat redeemed his image while Eunice Sum continued her reign as Kenyans won their respective races at the IAAF Continental Cup in Marrakech, Morocco, on Saturday night.

After playing second fiddle to opponents in men’s 5,000m at the World Championships, Commonwealth Games and Africa Championships, Kiplangat, the World bronze medallist, had his day on the sun, winning in 13:26.86 after holding off Zane Robertson from New Zealand.

Determined to finish in style after winning the 2014 Diamond League Series 800m race, Sum, the world champion, eased off to victory in 1:58.21.

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Sum and Kiplangat each earned US$ 30,000 (Sh2.64m) and eight points apiece for Africa team at the Championship that was to end last night. It was a sigh of relief for Kiplangat who had not won a major title over the distance.

It was also Kenya’s first championship victory in 5,000m from a global event since Benjamin Limo’s exploits at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki.

KIPLANGAT ON THE MEND
Kiplangat was fifth at the 2012 London Olympic Games before taking bronze at the 2013 Moscow World Championships. This year, he settled for silver medals at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and Africa Championships after losing the battle to Caleb Mwangangi.

Nguse Amlosom from Eritrea was third, leaving the field’s fastest man, Bahrain’s Albert Rop representing Asia-Pacific, fourth.

All season long, until the final week in August, Sum had been the dominant force among the planet’s pre-eminent female two-lap runners. Heading into the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Birmingham, 26-year-old Sum had lost just once in 14 races; in Monaco to Ajee Wilson.

She won at the same venue where she won Africa title few weeks ago. Wilson was second in 2:00.07 with Belarus’ European champion Marina Arzamasova third.

“It’s been a season of victory. This time it is not for my country but for Africa. It is a big achievement,” said Sum. World 1,500m Asbel Kiprop (3:49.10) lost the metric mile race to teammate and World Indoor champion Ayanleh Souleiman (3:48.91) of Djibouti.

Souleiman got Sh2.64m and Kiprop Sh1.32m. Kenya’s Janet Kisa was fourth in 9:01.72 to pocket Sh616,000 in women’s 3,000m race.

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