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Andrew Kiptoo Alamisi clinched gold for Kenya in the men's 5000m at the 2024 World U20 Championships in Lima, Peru.
Kenya grabbed its first medal at the World U20 Championships 2024 in a thrilling fashion on Wednesday morning as Andrew Alamisi claimed victory in the men’s 5000m final.
Alamisi’s race was a display of both tactical brilliance and raw speed with the 17-year-old outlasting a strong field to secure the gold medal at the Estadio Atlético de la Villa Deportiva Nacional in Lima, Peru.
Alamisi, who was considered the pre-race favourite due to his impressive personal best, lived up to expectations.
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He timed his race perfectly, unleashing a powerful sprint in the closing stages to finish in 13:41.14. Ethiopia’s Abdisa Fayisa put up a strong fight, finishing just behind in 13:41.56 to take silver. Uganda’s Kenneth Kiptop earned the bronze medal running a season-best time of 13:41.73.
The race remained tightly contested until the last few meters as the other Kenyan in the final, Ishmael Kipkurui narrowly missed out on the podium, finishing fourth in what was also an impressive showing.
The early stages of the race were marked by a surprising burst of pace from Japan's Kaito Matsui.
The Japanese athlete stormed to the front from the start, clocking a blistering 64 seconds for the opening lap.
However, the unsustainable pace soon caught up with him, as Matsui’s lap times slowed to 67 seconds and beyond.
As the race progressed, Matsui faded dramatically and was eventually lapped by the lead pack, finishing last.
Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Burundi soon began to take control of the race, with their athletes forming the leading group as the pace steadied.
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By the final 1000 metres the front pack was down to ten athletes but the real race began in the closing stages when Alamisi made his move.
His kick in the homestretch was too strong for Fayisa allowing the Kenyan to sprint to the gold and secure Kenya’s first medal of the championships.
In the earlier women’s 5000m final, it was all about Ethiopia as Medina Eisa defended her title in dominant fashion, clocking a championship-record time of 14:39.71.
Eisa, the reigning champion, put on a stunning performance, distancing herself from the field early on.
Her compatriot Mekedes Aleshemete took the silver, while Uganda’s Charity Cherop claimed the bronze.
Kenya’s Mercy Chepkemoi and Sheila Jebet finished just outside the medals in fourth and fifth place, respectively.
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Eisa and Aleshemete took control of the race from the start, building a significant lead by the 3000m mark, which they reached in 8:57.28.
From there, Eisa broke away from her compatriot with just over three laps to go and never looked back, cruising to a comfortable victory and handing Ethiopia its eighth women’s 5000m gold in the past nine editions of the World U20 Championships.
Elsewhere, the women’s 3000m steeplechase heats featured commanding performances from the race favourites.
Ethiopia’s Sembo Almayew easily won her heat in 9:30.59, with Kenya’s Diana Chepkemoi finishing second and Uganda’s Nancy Chepkwurui taking third in 9:49.06.
In the second heat, Ethiopia’s Firehiwot Gesese clocked 10:00.96 to take first, while Uganda’s Loice Chekwemoi and Kenya’s Sharon Chepkemoi rounded out the top three in 10:01.85 and 10:07.59, respectively.
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