DOUBLE DELIGHT

Jepchirchir, Sawe mastemind unprecedented clean sweeps in Riga

Jepchirchir made her experience count in the last 100m to outpace 2022 world 10,000m bronze medalist Margaret Chelimo to win in 1:07:25.

In Summary

•  It was double celebration for Kenya as Sebastian Sawe took the gold medal in 59:10 ahead of world 10,000 silver medallist Daniel Simiu, who had dominated the later stages of the race.

• Simiu timed 59:14 as Samuel Mailu bagged the bronze in 59:19. Another Kenyan, Bernard Kibet, finished eighth in 1:00:13.

Peris Jepchirchir crosses the finish line during the Tokyo Olympic Games
Peris Jepchirchir crosses the finish line during the Tokyo Olympic Games
Image: FILE

Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir led a Kenyan 1-2-3 finish at the World Road running championships in Riga, Latvia on Sunday.

Jepchirchir made her experience count in the last 100m to outpace 2022 world 10,000m bronze medalist Margaret Chelimo to win in 1:07:25.

Chelimo took silver in 1:07:26 and Catherine Reline took the bronze medal in 1:07:34 as Team Kenya showed their dominance over fierce rivals Ethiopia in an entertaining race.

Ethiopia's Tigist Gebreselama finished a fourth in 1:07:50 as Kenya's Irine Chepchumba finished fifth in 1:08.02. Team Kenya also bagged the overall team title.

The Kenyan quartet, alongside Gebreselama, broke away from the rest of the field at the halfway mark with Reline leading from the front with Chelimo and Jepchirchir keeping a close eye on her in warm conditions in the Latvian capital.

Gebreselama kept tabs on the Kenyans for the duration of the race but fell back in the final kilometre as the Kenyan trio kept their cool to lock the Ethiopian out of the medals.

 It was double celebration for Kenya as Sebastian Sawe took the gold medal in 59:10 ahead of world 10,000 silver medallist Daniel Simiu, who had dominated the later stages of the race.

Simiu timed 59:14 as Samuel Mailu bagged the bronze in 59:19. Another Kenyan, Bernard Kibet, finished eighth in 1:00:13.