by Justin Lagat
Solomon Lekuta wins Men’s U20 800 meters, photo by Getty Images or IAAF
Here is Justin Lagat’s column on the final day of the IAAF U20 World Championships, where he writes about the men’s 800 meters, women’s 1,500 meters and men’s steeplechase. Tampere, Finland was the home for the IAAF U20 World Championships.
A runner can become an inspiration to others directly or indirectly and this became evident today on the final day of the IAAF U20 Championships. In an event that David Rudisha set a world record at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, it appears that many young runners from his community in Kenya are now beginning to take up the exact event. Earlier in the year, Wycliffe Kinyamal, who comes from the same area with Rudisha, emerged almost out of nowhere to stun everyone in the men’s 800m race at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in Australia. Today, a young Kenyan runner with the same middle name as Rudisha, Solomon Lekuta won the final gold medal for Kenya in an exciting men’s 800m race that was dominated by Kenyans, perhaps more than any other race in the championships. He even did spread his hands out after crossing the finish line in almost the exact manner that Rudisha always does. Except that he didn’t punch the air!
All the way from the heats to the semi-finals, the two Kenyan runners in the men’s 800m race had won their respective races and this was one race that the Kenyan fans had the highest hopes for a gold medal. Lekuta ensured that it was a fast pace by pacing the first 200m, then moved back and relaxed, leaving Adisu Girma of Ethiopia to continue the pace duties at the front. His compatriot, Ngeno Kipngetich was the first to break away from the field as the approached the last bend and it seemed as though he had already secured the gold medal for himself. But, Lekuta came strongly from the outside lane to upset him just at the finish line. Lekuta won the race in 1:46.35 followed closely by Kipngetich in 1:46.45.
It was more of an Ethiopian day as well. They won two gold medals; in the men’s 3000m steeplechase final and in the women’s 1500m with Kenyans taking the silver medals in both events.
Kenya’s Miriam Cherop tried her best to give Ethiopia’s Alemaz Samuel a tough competition on the last lap of the women’s 1500m final, but Samuel eased away from her with about 150m to go ahead and win the race in 4:09.67 against Cherop’s 4:10.73. Delia Sclabas of Switzerland came in third to win her second bronze medal of the championships in 4:11.98, having won the first one in the women’s 800m.
Takele Nigate edged Kenya’s Leornard Bett in the men’s 3000m steeplechase to become the first non-Kenyan ever to win the gold medal in this event since the championships were started in 1986. Nigate registered 8:25.35 against Bett’s 8:25.39. The second Ethiopian, Getnet Wale crossed the finish line in 8:26.16 to take home the bronze medal.
With six gold, four silver and one bronze medals, Kenya finally emerges as the overall winner of the IAAF World U20 championships. Jamaica finished second with four gold, five silver and three bronze medals while the US finished third having won three gold, eight silver and seven bronze medals.
