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Cornelius Kemboi makes history at Discovery Kenya Cross Country Championships
Reading Time: 2min | Sun. 26.01.25. | 19:34
In the senior women's category, World Road Running Half Marathon bronze medallist Catherine Reline came in at position two in a race won by Christine Njoki
2024 All African Games 5,000m champion Cornelius Kemboi defended his title at the Discovery Kenya Cross Country Championships held on Sunday 26 January at the Eldoret Sports Club.
Victory saw Kemboi become the first athlete to defend his cross-country title since the invention of the race.
In a fiercely contested 10km men’s race, Kemboi clocked 30:44.8 to edge out 2024 Chepsaita Cross Country champion Samuel Chebolei by a razor-thin margin of 0.6 seconds.
Titus Kiprotich completed the podium in 30:55.1.
Speaking after the race, Kemboi revealed that he came into the race to prove that everything was possible through hard work.
“The course was great. I am grateful for defending my title. Today, I came here to show that everything is possible. The race was so tactical, and every competitor was strong,” Kemboi offered.
Looking ahead, Kemboi is considering competing at the National Cross Country Championships slated for 8 February , in Eldoret, or competing in the Sirikwa Classic World Cross Country Tour slated for 22 February.
On his side, Chebulei acknowledged the pressure of expectations but remained optimistic about his upcoming Castellon 10km race in Spain.
“Sometimes it’s good when people look up to you. Despite not winning, I’m happy with my performance,” he said.
In the senior women's category, World Road Running Half Marathon bronze medallist Catherine Reline came in at position two in a race won by Christine Njoki.
The Cherangany-based runner crossed the line in 27:44.2 to edge out Reline who finished second in 27:50.1.
Maureen Chepkoech completed the podium in 28:07:4.
Speaking after the race, the visibly fatigued Njoki was glad to finally add a Discovery Kenya win to her list of growing achievements.
“This is my first Discovery Kenya win. Last year, I finished third, and this year I came well-prepared. The competition was tough, but I was confident because I have competed with these runners before,” Njoki offered.
Reline, who hails from Kapsait, admitted to being disappointed with the second-place finish but vowed to bounce back.
“I was expecting to win, but the competition was stiff. This race has shown me areas to improve, and I’ll start working on them,” she said.
Reline will shift her focus to a half marathon in China next month before heading to London for another race.
In the 6km U20 women’s race, Cynthia Chepkurui claimed the title with a time of 21:16.1, ahead of Lonah Cherono (21:30.1) and Diana Chepkemoi (21:41.7).
Meanwhile, the 8km U20 men’s race saw Hillary Kiplimo cross the finish line first in 24:52.0, followed by Andrew Alamisi (25:02.6) and Edwin Elkana (25:13.0).
