Maureen Chebor celebrated after completing the women’s 10,000m at BingwaFest National Finals in Meru.
By KPC Sports Reporter
The defending champion Maureen Chebor successfully maintained her women’s 10,000m championship at the Betika BingwaFest National Finals in Meru, with Robert Kiprop claiming the men’s title at Kinoru Stadium on Saturday, April 03.
Chebor finished in 32:17.2 to secure consecutive titles, outpacing Phanuel Yego, who took second place in 32:20.7, while Miriam Chebet rounded out the podium in 32:34.9.
“I am pleased to defend the title I secured in Siaya during the initial edition. Today’s competition went well and everything unfolded according to my plan. My attention now turns to this year’s Commonwealth Games,” Chebor stated following her victory.
Coming off the Berlin Half Marathon last weekend where he achieved his personal best over the 21-km distance, Kiprop defeated Ebenyo to claim the men’s 10,000m title with a time of 29:06.2.
Ebenyo recorded 29:08.5 for second place as Mathew Kipkoech secured third position in 29:09.8 in a fiercely contested race where the top three finishers were separated by just over three seconds at the finish line.
Speaking after his triumph, Kiprop remarked: “I am thankful for this victory. I just returned from Berlin, where I set a personal best in the half-marathon and I didn’t anticipate winning today as I still have some blisters from that race. I am grateful to (Daniel) Ebenyo for pushing Kipkoech and I.”
“We all train in Iten, and it was wonderful competing against each other. For the final lap, the three of us were at the front and we simply decided to give it our best as everyone fought for their position.”
Chebor and Kiprop each received KES 400,000, while the second and third-place finishers earned KES 350,000 and KES 300,000 respectively.
The men’s 5,000m also delivered an exciting competition, with Mathew Kipsang taking victory in 13:52.8, closely followed by Amason Kireu, who finished second in 13:53.55, while Gilbert Kiprotich claimed third place in 13:54.03 in another tightly contested race.
“I have been focusing on my finishing technique, which proved very beneficial for me today. That’s something I developed in Tokyo last year during the World Championships because everyone excelled at their final kick. The race started slowly, but I knew that would play to my advantage toward the end for that final sprint,” Kipsang explained.
In the women’s 5,000m, Miriam Chebet delivered an exceptional performance to win in 15:41.4 and secure her second medal of the day, narrowly beating Cynthia Chepngeno, who finished second in 15:42.1. Joyline Chepkemoi completed the podium in 15:43.1.
Athletics Kenya Athletes Representative Milcah Chemos commended the competition, urging organizers to continue into the third season on a larger scale.
“I want to use this opportunity to thank BingwaFest for creating this event, which has significantly helped emerging athletes, particularly those without sponsorship. This year, the event has been immensely beneficial to our athletes as they prepared for various competitions, including the relays in Botswana last week,” Chemo stated.
“We have a clear understanding of the athletes’ condition as we approach the AK combined trials for the World Relays and African Senior Championships next week. I hope we will have more events next season. Including the 3,000m steeplechase could be advantageous, especially for the under-20 athletes,” Chemos added.
In the 1500m race, Patrick Rotich (3:41.0) led Dominic Kiptoo (3:41.2) and Mathew Kipsang (3:41.5) to victory in the men’s final as Naomi Korir continued her impressive form to win the women’s race in 4:15.4 ahead of Miriam Cherop (4:15.9) and Josephine Sembeyo (4:16.2).
Korir then went on to claim the 800m title, stopping the clock in 2:00.7 to defeat Vivian Chebet (2:02.1) and Miriam Chebet (2:02.9). In the men’s race, Nicholas Kiplagat (1:45.0) finished first as Brian Kiptoo (1:45.4) and Laban Chepkwony (1:45.5) took second and third respectively.
Allan Kipyegon (44.5) won the men’s 400m ahead of George Mutinda (44.9) and Danson Kibet (45.7). In the women’s race, Mercy Chebet (52.5) crossed the line first as Gladys Chepkemboi (52.9) and Lanoline Aoko (53.6) finished second and third respectively.
In the 100m, Moses Wasike (9.9) beat Bonface Mweresa (10.0) and Ronald Koech (10.2) in the men’s final as Millicent Ndoro (11.4) finished ahead of Lanoline Aoko (11.6) and Lucia Williams (11.9).
In the 4X100m relays, Team Nakuru claimed victory in 39.2 in the men’s final as Team Siaya (39.4) and Team Mombasa (39.8) finished second and third. Nakuru maintained their dominance in the women’s race as well with a time of 45.8 as Mombasa (46.8) and Machakos (47.6) took second and third positions.
Team Nakuru also won the men’s 4X400m in a time of (3:04.6) followed by Team Meru (3:06.2) and Mombasa (3:07.9). Team Machakos (3:39.2) won the women’s competition with Team Mombasa (3:43.3) and Team Mumias (3:53.5).