Uneven terrain, a 50-metre-long water and mud section, tough competition and a new winner in the men&rsquo;s race all characterised the Kenyan Cross Country Championships in Nairobi on Saturday (13).
Rodgers Kwemoi and defending women&rsquo;s champion Sheila Chelangat fed off stiff competition and cold conditions to win the senior titles on a course that was made more challenging following a heavy downpour on Friday night. The two races were both tactical but played out in different ways.
The women&rsquo;s race was compact through the first two-kilometre lap. Chelangat took on the race in her typical style &ndash; running from the front, only to slow down at the water section. Chelangat forced the pace until a lead pack of just five women had broken away from the rest of the pack at about 6km.
With four kilometres to go, Daisy Cherotich took the lead and Chelangat dropped back to third place. Chelangat, a world U18 bronze medallist in 2015, took command again before the bell and opened up a 50-metre gap on her way to retaining her national title in 34:56. An exhausted Chelangat collapsed to the ground soon after and briefly needed medical attention.
In the battle for second place, Cherotich held off world marathon champion Ruth Chepngetich, 35:00 to 35:03.
&ldquo;I developed a headache and a minor stomach ache, and by the time I finished the race I was so tired,&rdquo; said Chelangat. &ldquo;The National Cross Country is hard in Kenya; almost everyone is in good shape, everyone is training hard. It was a tough competition, the race today was hard, but I worked hard for this win.
&ldquo;There were so many obstacles, I struggled through the water and mud,&rdquo; she added. &ldquo;They were tough, but I managed to regain my speed on the rest of the course. I&rsquo;m glad I have made the team for the African Cross County Championships.
&ldquo;I had prepared well, knowing very well that, due to coronavirus, athletes haven&rsquo;t competed much, therefore I came expecting very tough competition. Everyone wanted to test their shape.&rdquo;
Chelangat was among the athletes who would have competed at the cancelled RAK Half Marathon on Friday, but she will now turn her attention to the African Cross Country Championships.
The men&rsquo;s race played out differently with 5000m specialist Michael Kibet taking on the lead half way through the first lap. He opened a 30-metre gap, stringing along a pack that included world half marathon record-holder Kibiwott Kandie, two-time world cross-country champion Geoffrey Kamworor and 2019 Kenyan 5000m champion Daniel Simiu.
Kibet eventually tired and Kandie closed the gap, hitting the front about half way into the race. He continued to lead until just after the bell. All the while, Japan-based Kwemoi had been working his way through the field, going from 15th to seventh and then to third with two kilometres to go. Sensing fatigue in Kandie, Kwemoi unleashed his kick with about half a lap left and opened up a gap on the long-time leader. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/602845562962cd8df61d4e6f.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" /> Rodgers Kwemoi after winning the Kenyan Cross Country Championships (&copy; Michelle Katami)
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Kandie closed in on Kwemoi down the homestretch, but Kwemoi held on to cut the tape in 31:04, finishing two seconds ahead of Kandie. Bett completed the podium in third in 31:11. Kamworor and Bedan Karoki dropped out of the race after two laps.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m really happy to win the senior men&rsquo;s race,&rdquo; said Kwemoi, the 2016 world U20 10,000m champion and fourth-place finisher at the 2019 World Championships. &ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t expecting to win but after the second lap (4km) I felt like I could win. I realised some of the athletes in front of me, including Kamworor and Kandie, were getting tired.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m usually a front runner but this time I opted to sit back so that I could reserve my energy. And now I am 100% sure I can win the gold medal in Lome (at the African Cross Country Championships).&rdquo;
The U20 men&rsquo;s 8km and U20 women&rsquo;s 6km races were won by Gideon Rono (24:44) and Purity Chepkurui (20:51) respectively. In the mixed relay, Hellen Obiri anchored her Kenya Defence Forces team to victory.
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Men (10km) 1 Rodgers Kwemoi 31:04 2 Kibiwott Kandie 31:06 3 Edwin Bett 31:11 4 Nicholas Kimeli 31:13 5 Phenus Kipleting 31:15
Women (10km) 1 Sheila Chelangat 34:56 2 Daisy Cherotich 35:00 3 Ruth Chepgnetich 35:03 4 Agnes Kibet 35:08 5 Everlyne Chirchir 35:10

Uneven terrain, a 50-metre-long water and mud section, tough competition and a new winner in the men’s race all characterised the Kenyan Cross Country Championships in Nairobi on Saturday (13).

Kwemoi and Chelangat crowned Kenyan cross-country champions

Sheila Chelangat of Kenya broke the African 10km all-comers record at the 10KM de Port-Gentil, an IAAF Bronze Label race, in Gabon on Sunday (30 June).
Breaking from compatriot and defending champion Ruth Chepngetich in the final kilometre, the 21-year-old crossed the line in 30:55 to clip 41 seconds from the continental all-comers mark set by Chepngetich at this race in 2017.
It was the third road victory for Chelangat this year, who set her previous career best of 31:01 at Valenciennes, France, in March.
Chepngetich, the current 2019 world leader in the marathon at 2:17:08, was second in 31:12, with Evaline Chirchir, also from Kenya, third in 31:58.
Abdallah Mande of Uganda won the men's race in 27:35, also a course record. The 24-year-old, whose U20 career was highlighted by a runner-up finish over 5000m at the 2013 African U20 Championships, knocked 35 seconds from his previous lifetime best.
Kenyan Benard Ngeno was second in 27:43 followed by compatriot Emmanuel Bor who clocked 27:53.
Defending champion Maxwell Kortek of Uganda struggled in the latter stages and finished a distant fifth in 38:37.
Organisers for the IAAF

Sheila Chelangat of Kenya broke the African 10km all-comers record at the 10KM de Port-Gentil, an IAAF Bronze Label race, in Gabon on Sunday (30 June).

Chelangat breaks African 10km all-comers record in Port Gentil

It was little surprise that the girls&rsquo; 3000m title went to an Ethiopian, though the fact it was relatively unheralded Shuru Bulo who sprinted to victory in 9:01.12 &ndash; and not her favoured team-mate Letesenbet Gidey &ndash; proved one of the biggest upsets on day one of the IAAF World Youth Championships, Cali 2015 on Wednesday (15).The Kenyans have traditionally dominated this race &ndash; winning gold six out of eight times in the event&rsquo;s history &ndash; and when the gun fired inside the Pascual Guerrero Stadium, their duo of Emily Chebet Kipchumba and Sheila Chelangat made their intentions clear from the start. Kipchumba, with Chelangat running on her shoulder, raced straight to the front and took the field through 1000m in a steady 3:01.38. At that point, the Ethiopians were content to play the waiting game, Gidey sheltering on the inside behind the Kenyans with Bulo running alongside her.Japan&rsquo;s Yuka Mukai, Australia&rsquo;s Annabel McDermott and Bahrain&rsquo;s Fatuma Chebsi were the only three who went with the East Africans, but by the time the leaders reached 2000m in 6:05.53, they had already drifted back.With 600 metres to run, Bulo showed her hand for the first time, passing Chelangat and running together with Kipchumba at the front. As they reached the bell, Kipchumba began pouring on the pace, trying her best to lead every step of the way. Though her effort soon had Gidey and team-mate Chelangat in trouble, it had little effect on the smooth-striding Bulo, who clung to Kipchumba&rsquo;s shoulder as they entered the back straight for the final time. With 200 metres to run, Bulo finally changed gears and swept past Chebet, who briefly tried in vain to go with the Ethiopian. In the end, though, the turn of pace was simply too much and Bulo came home a clear winner in 9:01.12, a world-youth-leading time. She becomes just the second Ethiopian to triumph in this event, after Gotytom Gebreslase four years ago in Lille. After all her front-running, Kenya&rsquo;s national junior champion Kipchumba was rewarded with a silver medal for her efforts, finishing in 9:02.92. The battle for bronze was won by Chelangat, who edged world junior cross-country champion Gidey in the run to the line, 9:04.54 to 9:04.64. &nbsp;Cathal Dennehy for the IAAF

It was little surprise that the girls’ 3000m title went to an Ethiopian, though the fact it was relatively unheralded Shuru Bulo who sprinted to victory in 9:01.12 – and not her favoured team-mate Letesenbet Gidey – proved one of the biggest upsets on day one of the IAAF World Youth Championships, Cali 2015 on Wednesday (15).

Kwemoi and Chelangat crowned Kenyan cross-country champions

Chelangat breaks African 10km all-comers record in Port Gentil

Girls' 3000m – IAAF World Youth Championships, Cali 2015