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Kenyan woman makes history at IAAF World Championships

Posted August 28th, 2007 at 2:47 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Special Features, Live Race Coverage

It was at the second IAAF World Championships in Athletics in 1987 when Kenya first put a man on the top step of the podium at 800m in either a world championships or an Olympic Games. Tonight, 20 years later, a Kenyan woman has finally duplicated that feat, joining legends Billy Konchellah, Paul Ruto, Paul Ereng and William Tanui as world or Olympic 800m champions.

Janeth Jepkosgei, the Commonwealth Games champion who ran the fastest-ever time in a world championships semi-final on Sunday, saved more than enough for tonight’s final, leading wire-to-wire in 1:56.04, a new Kenyan record.

“I’m so happy about it,” said Jepkosgei who is from the village of Kapsabet but now lives in Eldoret. “I was not really expecting it.”

Why should she? The field was stacked, including three-time world champion and 2000 Olympic gold medalist Maria Mutola of Mozambique, and the silver medalist from both the 2004 Olympics and 2005 world championships, Hasna Benhassi of Morocco. But both of these women were left in Jepkosgei’s wake, drained by her strong opening 400 meters in 56.16 and tremendous acceleration over the final 100 meters to cap the race. In fact, Mutola was so drained that she stepped off the track while in third place with about 100 meters to go, and sat down on the infield in exhaustion.

Interestingly, it wasn’t the two medalists which had Jepkosgei worried, but the two Russians, Olga Kotlyarova and Svetlana Klyuka, who would finish in fourth and seventh place, respectively.

“I knew the Russians were quick in the finishing,” said Jepkosgei who had the race locked up with 80 meters to go.

Benhassi tried valiantly to catch the Kenyan, but but fell nearly a full second short in 1:56.99, repeating her silver medal performance from Helsinki. Spaniard Mayte Martínez rounded the final turn in second to last place, but she was able to pass four women in the homestretch to nab the bronze, the first-ever 800m medal for a Spanish woman at a world championships.

Jepkosgei explained that she didn’t have a clear race plan, but felt energized at the start and decided to push the pace from the beginning. “I felt it,” she said of her speed. “I like to control it.”

The Kenyans were also in control of the men’s 3000m steeplechase. In what has become a familiar scene at international championships, Team Kenya swept the podium, led by Brimin Kipruto, the bronze medalist from Helsinki. Second place went to the 2004 Olympic champion, Ezekiel Kemboi, with Richard Mateelong getting the bronze. Times were modest, just 8:13.82 for Kipruto, but they dominated the race by controlling the pace throughout and pulling away as a group with about 600 meters to go.

“Of course we are happy,” said Kipruto. “We ran as a team. We finished as a team.”

The steeplechase remains the most reliable source of medals for Kenya at the world championships. Since the inaugural championships in 1983, Kenyan men have won 19 steeplechase medals out of 33 distributed, including 7 of the 11 gold medals.

“Of course, our aim in Osaka was to sweep the medals,” said Kemboi. “We hope for the same thing in Beijing.”