Disappointing Kenya finish fourth as World Championships end
Mary Moraa of Kenya celebrates winning bronze in the Women's 800m Fina on day 10 of the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 at Hayward Field on July 24, 2022 in Eugene, Oregon.
What you need to know:
- Defending champion Conseslus Kipruto, who was making a return from injury, could only salvage a bronze in steeplechase with the 2018 World Under-20 5,000m champion Beatrice Chebet winning silver in women’s 5,000m.
- All isn’t lost with a new crop of budding athletes beginning their reign in earnest among them Chebet and Krop alongside Moraa, who claimed the precious bronze.
The curtains came down on the 18th edition of the World Athletics Championships at Hayward Field, Oregon in United States Sunday with Kenya finishing fourth in the medal standings.
In arguably the country’s worst performance in 17 years, Jacob Krop claimed silver in men’s 10,000m with Mary Moraa going from bronze in women’s 800m on the last day as Kenya collected 10 medals; two gold, five silver and three bronze.
The United States of America once again topped the medals standings with 33 medals; 13 gold, nine silver and 11 bronze followed by Ethiopia with 10 medals; four gold, four silver and two silver.
Gold medallists Abby Steiner, Talitha Diggs, Sydney McLaughlin, and Britton Wilson of Team United States celebrate after competing in the Women's 4x400m Relay Final on day ten of the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 at Hayward Field on July 24, 2022 in Eugene, Oregon.
Jamaica settled third also with 10 medals, but two gold, seven silver and a bronze.
Kenya relinquished all its five titles from the previous 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha; women's marathon, men and women's 3,000m steeplechase, women's 5,000m and men's 1,500m, but recaptured the women's 1,500m and men's 800m crowns.
Olympic champions Faith Chepng’etich (1,500m) and Emmanuel Korir (800m) won gold medals for Kenya in their specialty.
Beatrice Chebet (5,000m), Hellen Obiri (10,000m), Judith Jeptum (marathon), Stanley Waithaka (10,000m) and Jacob Krop (5,000m) gave the country silver medals.
Bronze medalist Mary Moraa (left) of Kenya and gold medalist Athing Mu of United States celebrate after competing in the Women's 800m Final on day ten of the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 at Hayward Field on July 24, 2022 in Eugene, Oregon.
Margaret Chelimo (10,000m), Mary Moraa (800m) and Conseslus Kipruto (3,000m) settled for bronze.
Kenya’s performance had not gone below four gold medals since the 2005 World Athletics Championships in Helsinki where the country collected seven medals; one gold, two silver and four bronze to finish ninth in the medal count.
Coincidentally, that is the last time Kenya won the men's 5,000m through Benjamin Limo. Since then it has been a rollercoaster for Kenya until Oregon happened.
From left: Silver medalist Jacob Krop of Kenya, gold medalist Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway, and bronze medalist Oscar Chelimo of Uganda celebrate after competing in the Men's 5000m Final on day ten of the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 at Hayward Field on July 24, 2022 in Eugene, Oregon.
The country made its best collection of 17 medals; seven gold, eight silver and three bronze to finish second in the medal standings at the 2011 Daegu World Athletics Championships in South Korea.
But if Kenya had the most medals in Daegu, then it’s the 2015 Beijing World Athletics Championships where the country made history as the first African country to top the medal standings for the first time.
From left: Jacob Krop of Kenya, Daniel Simiu Ebenyo of Kenya, and Nicholas Kipkorir of Kenya compete in the Men's 5000m Final on day ten of the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 at Hayward Field on July 24, 2022 in Eugene, Oregon.
Kenya hauled 16 medals; seven gold, six silver and three bronze with Julius Yego becoming the only other African apart from South Africa’s Marius Corbett (1997 Athens) to win a world javelin throw title.
The late Nicholas Bett also made history as the first Kenyan and only other African besides Zambian Samuel Matete (1991 Tokyo) to win the 400m hurdles at the same event.
Kenya would finish second at the 2017 London and 2019 Doha World Athletics Championships with the country collecting a number of similar medals at the two events; five gold two silver and four bronze.
USA's Athing Mu (centre) crosses the finish line ahead of Britain's Keely Hodgkinson (right) to win the women's 800m final during the World Athletics Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon on July 24, 2022.
It’s back to the drawing board for Athletics Kenya to examine what went wrong at the backdrop of the many doping cases that have hit the country.
The 2019 Boston and Chicago Marathon champion Lawrence Cherono was stopped from competing on the eve of the men's marathon after a failed doping test, leaving Geoffrey Kamwowor, who was making a return, having survived a road accident and Barnabas Kiptum finishing fifth and 15th respectively.
World Under-20 3,000m steeplechase champion Amos Serem won the national trials, but the World Athletics anti-doping requirements locked him out alongside the women’s 5,000m trials winner Selah Jepleting over her same issue.
Defending champion Conseslus Kipruto, who was making a return from injury, could only salvage a bronze in steeplechase with the 2018 World Under-20 5,000m champion Beatrice Chebet winning silver in women’s 5,000m.
All isn’t lost with a new crop of budding athletes beginning their reign in earnest among them Chebet and Krop alongside Moraa, who claimed the precious bronze.
