Great Performance by Kenyans in Bydgoszcz, by Justin Lagat, note by Larry Eder

The 2013 World Cross Country Championships, held yesterday, March 24, 2103 in Bydgoszcz, Poland. Justin Lagat, our Kenyan correspondent, gave us his perception of the Kenyan performances in Poland. The conditions were tough, and Kenya did well in the women’ senior and junior, men’s junior and had a tough time in the men’s senior team title…..

GREAT PERFORMANCE BY KENYANS IN BYDGOSZCZ, by Justin Lagat

First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to the Nation Media Group in Kenya for providing free live coverage of the IAAF world cross country championships event to Kenyans via their TV station, Qtv. It was the only station that did that today in Kenya, and coupling this with their recent launch of a sports magazine, called Sporton, and having Lornah Kiplagat, the famous long distance runner, as one of its columnists, I think they are doing the right thing for the running sport in the country. Other media houses should emulate them.

The 12km senior men’s event was the most interesting event to watch. Unlike the other races, it wasn’t a competition between the usual two countries. For the first six Kilometers, a huge crowd was able to maintain its grip on the leading pack. I could see US, Australian, Ugandan, Eritrean, Kenyan and Ethiopian athletes all exchanging the lead.

Even with less than a kilometer remaining, four countries were still with a possibility of winning the individual title. There were still five athletes in the lead: Two Ugandans, a Kenyan, Ethiopian and an Eritrean. It was a tense moment.

About 400 meters to the finish line, Japheth Korir of Kenya began to open a gap, leaving Iman Merga of Ethiopia and Teklemariam of Eritrea to battle it out for the second place with the two Ugandans, Kipsiro and Toroitich following closely behind.

Although Kenya won the individual title in the senior men’s race, Ethiopia won the team title followed by USA. Kenya settled for the third place. There were two accidents that may have cost the Kenyan team the title. One of the athletes fell down in the second lap, then some athlete stepped on Jonathan Ndiku’s running shoe and he had to step out of the race. Anyway, I guess cross country is not only about running alone, but being careful to avoid falls and jostling as well.

There was a different scenario in the senior women’s race in which the field soon became a contest between the Kenyan and Ethiopian athletes barely before the first one kilometer was over. Five Kenyans and three Ethiopians dominated the leading pack early in the race before Hiwot Ayalew of Ethiopia began to surge forward at a higher speed that forced the pack to disintegrate into a single file. Kenya’s Emily Chebet maintained some distance behind her until the last 200m when she was able to catch up with her and sprinted to the finish. Kenya took the team title followed by Ethiopia and Bahrain took the third position.

Like he did at the national trials in Nairobi, Kenya’s Leornard Barsoton maintained the lead for most of the second half of the race, only to be outsprinted by Hagos Gebrewit towards the finish. Ethiopia took the team title, Kenya became second while Morocco completed the list of top three.

Faith Chepng’etich did not disappoint the many predictions fans had made about her chances to win in the junior women’s race as she led her compatriot Agnes Tirop to win the first two positions. Ethiopia’s Alemitu Heroye managed to prevent a podium sweep for Kenyans by pushing Caroline Kipkirui to the fourth position. Kenya took the team title here followed by Ethiopia, then Britain in the top three positions.

6km Junior Women:

1	130	Faith Chepngetich Kipyegon	KEN	17:51
2	135	Agnes Jebet Tirop	KEN	17:51
3	77	Alemitu Heroye	ETH	17:57
4	129	Caroline Chepkoech Kipkirui	KEN	18:09
5	71	Ruti Aga	ETH	18:18
6	81	Sofiya Shemsu	ETH	18:20
7	124	Rosefline Chepngetich	KEN	18:21
8	127	Sheila Chepngetich Keter	KEN	18:21
9	73	Buze Diriba	ETH	18:29
10	76	Alemitu Hawi	ETH	18:35
11	126	Pauline Kaveke Kamulu	KEN	18:43

8km junior Men:

1	97	Hagos Gebrhiwet	ETH	21:04
2	137	Leonard Barsoton	KEN	21:08
3	95	Muktar Edris	ETH	21:13
4	75	Tsegay Tuemay	ERI	21:26
5	140	Conseslus Kipruto	KEN	21:40
6	102	Birhan Nebebew	ETH	21:42
7	69	Ghirmay Ghebreslassie	ERI	21:50
8	249	Dawit Weldesilasie	ERI	21:58
9	144	Ronald Kwemoi	KEN	21:58
10	138	Michael Bett	KEN	22:21
11	145	Moses Letoyie	KEN	22:28

8km senior women:

1	132	Emily Chebet	KEN	24:24
2	72	Hiwot Ayalew	ETH	24:27
3	80	Belaynesh Oljira	ETH	24:33
4	29	Shitaye Eshete	BRN	24:34
5	133	Margaret Wangari Muriuki	KEN	24:39
6	131	Janet Kisa	KEN	24:46
7	128	Viola Jelagat Kibiwot	KEN	24:46
8	28	Tejitu Daba	BRN	24:55
9	188	Juliet Chekwel	UGA	24:58
10	125	Irene Chepet Cheptai	KEN	25:01
11	134	Beatrice Chepkemoi Mutai	KEN	25:05
12	138	Salima El Ouali Alami	MAR	25:05
13	203	Neely Spence	USA	25:08
14	106	Fionnuala Britton	IRL	25:08
15	84	Genet Yalew	ETH	25:10

12km senior men:

1	143	Japhet Kipyegon Korir	KEN	32:45
2	101	Imane Merga	ETH	32:51
3	72	Teklemariam Medhin	ERI	32:54
4	229	Moses Ndiema Kipsiro	UGA	33:08
5	234	Timothy Toroitich	UGA	33:09
6	245	Ben True	USA	33:11
7	71	Goitom Kifle	ERI	33:16
8	14	Collis Birmingham	AUS	33:18
9	100	Feyisa Lilesa	ETH	33:22
10	236	Chris Derrick	USA	33:23
11	1	Rabah Aboud	ALG	33:28
12	146	Hosea Mwok Macharinyang	KEN	33:29
13	92	Abera Chane	ETH	33:31
14	90	Tesfaye Abera	ETH	33:35
15	142	Geoffrey Kipkorir Kirui	KEN	33:38

Well, the much awaited and highly anticipated cross country event is now over. Now that it has been turned into a biannual event, the next one will happen in 2015 in China. It leaves me wondering whether the long wait will serve to popularize the event more, or to kill it.

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Author

Larry Eder
Larry Eder has had a 52-year involvement in the sport of athletics. Larry has experienced the sport as an athlete, coach, magazine publisher, and now, journalist and blogger. His first article, on Don Bowden, America's first sub-4 minute miler, was published in RW in 1983. Larry has published several magazines on athletics, from American Athletics to the U.S. version of Spikes magazine. He currently manages the content and marketing development of the RunningNetwork, The Shoe Addicts, and RunBlogRun. Of RunBlogRun, his daily pilgrimage with the sport, Larry says: "I have to admit, I love traveling to far away meets, writing about the sport I love, and the athletes I respect, for my readers at runblogrun.com, the most of anything I have ever done, except, maybe running itself." Also does some updates for BBC Sports at key events, which he truly enjoys. Theme song: Greg Allman, " I'm no Angel."
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