Kenyans sweep board at cross country champs

Joseph Ebuya led a Kenyan cleansweep of the four titles on offer at the world cross country championships on Sunday.

The 22-year-old landed the men’s title - the first for Kenya since Paul Tergat in 1999 - beating home Eritrea’s Teklemariam Medhin while Moses Ndiema Kipsiro of Uganda took the bronze medal over the 12-kilometre course.

Ebuya, who was fourth in the 2008 edition, made up for the disappointing performance of 19-year-old Paul Tanui, his compatriot and pre-race favourite, who could only finish ninth.

Ethiopia’s defending champion Gebregziabher Gebremariam was never in the hunt and walked away in tears after crossing the line in 10th spot.

Ebuya, whose family were so poor that they couldn’t afford to send him to school, said that getting to Poland had been a battle in itself.

“I had to fight a war to even get into the Kenyan team,” said Ebuya, who hails from the unfashionable - from an athletics point of view - region of Turkana. “I was well prepared for this challenge in Poland because we trained as a team at the foot of Mount Kenya which is as chilly as it is here,” added Ebuya, who took home a cheque for over 33,000 dollars.

Ebuya, who showed his potential for taking the title earlier this year when he beat Kenenisa Bekele in Edinburgh, said that he had not been too sure of winning when Mehdin was upsides him.

“I have never raced against Mehdin and so to me he was an unknown quantity,” said Ebuya.

“However, once I got 10 metres clear of him I started praying and victory was delivered.”

Earlier Emily Chebet won the women’s title run over 8km, beating compatriot and 10,000 metres world champion Linet Chepkwemoi Masai while Meselech Melkamu of Ethiopia took bronze for a fifth time.

The major disappointment of the race was Ethiopia’s three-time champion Tirunesh Dibaba, who could finish only fourth, 19sec behind Chebet.

BYDGOSZCZ, AFP