Betty Chelangat secured Kenya’s first gold medal at the ongoing World Athletics Under-20 Championships in Cali, Colombia, winning the women’s 3,000m.
Chelangat cruised to the final lap clocking 9:01.03 and defended the crown won by compatriot Teresia Muthoni at last year’s championship in Nairobi.
Ethiopian Tsiyon Abebe who timed 9:05.98 settled for silver with Kenyan Nancy Cherop finishing third and timing 9:08.98.
Elsewhere, Kenya failed to take a shot at the men’s 5,000m title after Samuel Kibathi fell a few metres to the line while he tried grab bronze.
Ethiopia’s Adisu Yihune walked away with the gold medal timing 14:03.05 while Eritrea’s Merhawi Mebrahtu clocked 14:03.33 to claim Silver with Samuel Habtom settling for third, clocking 14:03.67.
Kibathi woke up from his fall to finish sixth in 14:07.82 while the other Kenyan compatriot in the race Mandela finished eighth in a time of 14:13.21.