Hard-fighting Mathew Kipkoech produced a last-lap sprint finish to win the 10km men’s race at the 3rd Chepsaita Cross Country run staged in Uasin Gishu County on Saturday.
The Iten-based Kipkoech cut the tape in 31:49, just 1 second ahead of Cornelius Kipkosgei, who won silver, while Sammy Kisa finished third, 2 seconds behind the winner.
“Last year, I was third in Chepsaita, and I went back to the drawing board with an aim of coming back and improving my performance. I just put in more effort in training and remained focused. This win means a lot to me.” said Kipkoech
The 10km senior men’s race brought together 365 athletes.
The race director, Barnaba Korir, hailed the initiative under the motto ‘run for education’ as it has helped raise school fees for school-going children in Turbo and has undergone tremendous growth.
“We started this event three years ago, and we can now see the fruits. We now have athletes from different countries, and this year, athletes are from 22 countries. Our elite athletes who could have represented us here are in training ahead of the World Cross Country Championships. However, we have registered more than 8500 athletes, and those include upcoming athletes and the veterans. This shows that Athletics Kenya is doing a great job and the preparations for the youngsters are great.” Stated Korir
Race Patron Farouk Kibet challenged more athletes to take up the challenge and impact the community.
“I want to promise that next year will be bigger and better, and we shall introduce something different to motivate more athletes to join and register. We already have the winners in the under-20 category who will go to Florida and witness the World Cross Country Championships. All those people who have won the prize money today will get to improve their lives, and that is what we strive for.” Said Kibet
Close to 9000 athletes from 21 different nationalities competed in this year’s edition, which was graced by the Speaker of the National Assembly Moses Wetangula, the Leader of the Majority Kimani Ichungwah, and other dignitaries.
