Kenya's quartet Emmanuel Wanyonyi, Miriam Cherop, Brenda Chebet and Kyumbe Munguti delivered the first gold medal in the mixed relay as World Cross Country Championships got underway on Saturday at the Mount Panorama Motor racing circuit in Bathurst, Australia.
The four wrapped up in the race in 23:14 minutes ahead of bitter rivals Ethiopia who clocked 23:21 to win silver courtesy of Adehera Kasaye, Hawi Abera, Getnet Wale and Birke Haylom. Hosts Australia were not to be left behind as they settled for bronze in 23:26 with the quartet of Oliver Hoare, Jessica Hall, Stewart MCsweyn, and Abbey Caldwell doing the magic.
The Kenyans said in an interview that t they mooted a plan which worked very well and are happy to have delivered gold. Munguti lauded their training in Kigari, saying the coaches led by Julius Kirwa knew what to expect and stuck to the script.
Having been handed the baton third, he said he knew the honours to make the difference had squarely been placed on his shoulders. He said the event was about teamwork and he is happy things went according to the script. “ Next we are now turning our focus on World Athletics Championships in Budapest and we hope this trend will continue,” he noted.
Wanyonyi said the starting part of the race was a bit challenging and needed to run with his head which he did. He said like the rest of his teammates Budapest is on his mind and he can’t wait. He said he will go back into training ahead of the track season.
“ This is very encouraging and I can’t wait to qualify for Budapest. This course was not easy but I am glad we made it," Wanyonyi noted.
He equally noted that the weather conditions were harsh for everyone but their training in Kigari College, sometimes under the sun, seemed to have given them an edge.
Cherop, who took the baton second said she knew she needed to run well to give the team a chance. “ I was just psyched up and I am excited that we actually did it in the opening race.
She said the gold medal is a motivation for her as she prepares to represent the country in 1500m next August in Budapest.
Brenda Chebet, who took the baton last, was equally over the moon but lamented that the hilly situation on the course took a toll on her towards the finish. “ I had to work extra hard to win the race because I didn’t want to let the team down,,” he added.
