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WXC Belgrade 24: Samuel Kibathi wins U20 gold
Reading Time: 1min | Sat. 30.03.24. | 14:09
Matthew Kipkoech made it a 1-3 finish for Kenya in third place
Kenya continued her dominance in the men's U20 race in the World Athletics Cross Country Championships as Samuel Kibathi held his own against stiff Ethiopian competition to win the race.
Kenyans dominated the race from early on with a, surprisingly, Japanese trio giving chase alongside Ethiopia and Ugandan squads who were seen as the greatest threat to Kenya.
With tricky corners to negotiate and tough barriers to get over, the Kenyans and Ethiopians survived to head to the final mile with Kibathi ahead.
In the final stretch, Mezgebu Sime gave the Kenyan a run for his money, leading Kibathi to severally look over his shoulder as he powered to the finish line in 22:40 for victory.
Samuel Kibathi of Kenya emerges victorious in a tough men's U20 race #WorldCrossCountry pic.twitter.com/T4QKZFInEY
— Justin Lagat (@LagatJustin) March 30, 2024
The 19-year-old led Kenyan to team gold on 15 points as bronze medalist Matthew Kipkoech sealed third place in 22:46. Sime was second in 22:41.
Johana Erot (22:49), and Charles Rotich (22:51) finished fifth and sixth respectively to contribute to Kenya's team gold in the men's race.
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