After being out for more than a year with a hip injury, road racer Peter Emase capped his return to action by winning the 10,000m race at the Kenya Prisons Athletics Championships at Moi Stadium, Kasarani yesterday.
The 29-year-old clocked 28:38.4 to beat a competitive field that included 2007 world marathon champion Luke Kibet and 2017 Paris Marathon champion, Mark Korir.
It was the first competitive race for the Iten-based athlete who only returned to training in March. Emase was thrilled to be back and sees the national trials for the world championships as an ideal platform to better the personal best he set yesterday. He said: “It is a relief to be competitive again. I have been out for over a year but I now feel good. I intend to improve my time to 27 minutes, which I believe is possible.”
“The trials for the world championships will be tough but I am going to train hard to make the Team Kenya cut. The prospect of facing Kamworor in the trials motivates me to outperform myself,” he noted.
North Eastern’s duo of Wilfred Kimitei (28:56.4) and Cornelius Kangogo (28:58.3) finished second and third respectively. Emmanuel Ng'atuny placed fourth in 29:18.2 while Kibet failed to master the high pace at altitude set by his understudies to finish fifth in a time of 29:40.0. Sixth place finisher was Wilson Kiprotich, who clocked 29:58.3.
Two-time world U20 3,000m steeplechase champion Celiphine Chespol won the 5,000m women’s title in a time of 15:50.7. She said: “The race was nice and I thank God for giving me this chance, considering it was my first time in the 5,000m race.”
“Running in this race will help me build up my endurance for steeplechase. My hope is to make Team Kenya for the World Championships in Doha in September,” she said. Tabitha Wangari came home second in a time of 16:32.7 while Nancy Nzisa completed the podium in 16:36.5.
Elsewhere, despite clocking a time of 3:50.1 in the 1500m semi-finals, world U-20 champion George Manangoi will not be in the finals today because he was a guest athlete.
Mark Bett (3:52.0), Kenneth Kirwa (3:55.0), Benjamin Langat (3:55.3), Elisha Keitany (3:56.1), Hillary Yego (3:57.4), Jacob Sang (3:59.0), John Mamai (3:59.7) and Bernard Bett (4:03.0) will, however, jostle for the title.
World and Commonwealth 1,500m silver medallist Timothy Cheruiyot aims to win the 800m race when he parades for the final. Damaris Akoth (25.3) won Heat 1 of the women’s 200m race ahead of Gladys Ngure (25.7) and Florence Njoroge (29.6) and who, alongside Heat 2 top performers Nevian Michira (24.4), Margaret Nyarera (24.6) and Rachael Mamai (28.9) made today’s final.
