A dominant 1-2 finish in the 10,000m by Kenyans Stacy Ndiwa and Alice Aprot highlighted the fourth day of competition at the 21st African Athletics Championships in Asaba, Nigeria, before another near capacity crowd at&nbsp;Stephen Keshi Memorial Stadium on Saturday (4).
Given the high late afternoon heat and humidity, the performance was as impressive as it was dominating. Such were the conditions that three of the 11 entrants dropped out well before the Kenyan pair forged on on their own with eight laps to go. That was when teammate Pauline Koriakwang, bothered by a troublesome Achilles, stepped off the track, taking Kenya's sweep ambitions with her.
For the next seven laps, Ndiwa and Aprot were in lockstep, with the taller Aprot, racing in a black hat, pushing the pace. But at the bell, Ndiwa bolted to the lead, one she extended down the backstretch before eventually reaching the finish in 31:31.17, a lifetime best for the 25-year-old. She immediately dropped flat on the track.
&nbsp;
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Alice Aprot drops to the track after winning the African 10,000 title in Asaba</div>
&nbsp;
"We decided to work together so we could break away from the others, because we weren't sure about their kick," said the 25-year-old Ndiwa, who took silver at the Commonwealth Games in April. "I didn't have a good kick there so I've been working a lot on my speed since then." It paid off.
Aprot, the winner at these championships two years ago, clocked 31:36.12 to take silver. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t mind helping with the pace, even if I finished second,&rdquo; the 2016 Olympian said.
Well back, Ethiopian Gete Alemayehu, 10th two years ago, took the bronze in 32:10.68.
<h3>Hugues joins 17-metre club&nbsp;</h3>
African indoor record holder Fabrice Zango Hugues took command of the men's triple jump from the opening round and held on to claim Burkina Faso's first title of the championships. After opening with 16.92m --an effort good enough for the win-- he improved to 17.11m in round five, the first 17 metre-plus leap for the 25-year-old. Hugues was the silver medallist two years ago.
Godfrey Mokoena of South Africa was second with 16.83m, just edging Algerian Yasser Triki who hit his 16.78m best in the final round.&nbsp;
Another victory for South Africa came in the men's 110m hurdles courtesy of Antonio Alkana who successfully defended his title. The 28-year-old dominated the race, building a clear advantage by midway point before pulling away for the 13.51 victory. The closest battle was the one for second. Abejoye Oyeniyi of Nigeria took that one by a scant 0.01 in 13.87 over Wellington Zaza of Liberia.
There was an Egyptian sweep in the men's hammer throw, won by Mostafa Al Gamal with 73.50m. Eslam Mohamed was second with 70.32m and Hassan Abdelgawad third with 69.90m.
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Fans at Stephen Keshi Memorial Stadium in Asaba</div>
&nbsp;
Kelechi Nwanaga took Nigeria's only gold of the day, prevailing in the women&rsquo;s javelin with 56.96m. Jo- An&eacute; Van Dyk of South Africa, the 2016 world U20 silver medallist, was second here as well with 53.72m, with Ugandan Josephine Lalaw Joyce reaching 51.33m to take the bronze.
Elsewhere, Tunisian Mohamed Amine Romdhana won the pole vault after topping 5.20m on his first attempt. South African Valco van Wyk took second on countback at 5.10m over another Tunisian, Mejdi Chehata.
<h3>Koala the overnight heptathlon leader</h3>
In the heptathlon, defending champion Marthe Yasmine Koala of Burkina Faso tallied 3737 points to hold a 66-point lead after day one. The 24-year-old won three of the four events, clocking 13.34 in the 100m hurdles, topping 1.80m in the high jump and 24.24 in the 200m.
Odile Ahouanwanou of Benin won the shot put with a 14.10m best and is currently in second with 3671. Hoda Hagras of Egypt is third with 3288 in the three-woman field.
<h3>Favourites advance&nbsp;</h3>
There were no surprises in the opening round of the women's 800m where the event's big two, world and Olympic champion Caster Semenya of South Africa and Francine Niyonsaba advanced easily to tomorrow's final after both finished second in their respective heats. Rababe Arafi, the silver medallist in yesterday's 1500m, did not finish in her heat.
Meanwhile, 100m winner Marie Josee Ta Lou was the fastest in the afternoon's 200m semi-finals, coasting to a 23.34 victory in the first of three heats.
The championships conclude to tomorrow with 16 titles to be decided.
<div>Day 5 timetable</div>
<div>07:00 - Women's 20 km race walk</div>
<div>07:15 - Men's 20 km race walk</div>
<div>09:15 - Heptathlon long jump</div>
<div>10:40 - Heptathlon javelin</div>
<div>15:00 - Women's 3000m steeple chase - final</div>
<div>15:05 - Women's High Jump - final</div>
<div>15:10 - Men's Javelin - final</div>
<div>15:20 - Women's Triple Jump - final</div>
<div>15:30 - Women's 400m Hurdles - final</div>
<div>15:40 - Women's Shot Put - final</div>
<div>15:45 - Women's 200m - final</div>
<div>15:55 - Men's 200m - final</div>
<div>16:05 - Women's 800m - final</div>
<div>16:20 - Men's 5000m - final</div>
<div>16:40 - Heptathlon 800m</div>
<div>16:55 - Men's 1500m - final</div>
<div>17:15 - Women's 4 x 400m relay - final</div>
<div>17:30 - Men's 4 x 400m relay - final</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
Day five will be livestreamed <a href="https://t.co/ewXLI551c7">here</a>.
Bob Ramsak for the IAAF

A dominant 1-2 finish in the 10,000m by Kenyans Stacy Ndiwa and Alice Aprot highlighted the fourth day of competition at the 21st African Athletics Championships in Asaba, Nigeria, before another near capacity crowd at Stephen Keshi Memorial Stadium on Saturday (4).

Ndiwa and Aprot claim Kenyan 1-2 in 10,000m at African Championships in Asaba

After winning the Cross Internacional de Soria by 48 seconds last weekend, Kenya&rsquo;s Alice Aprot took another runaway victory on Spanish soil at the Cross Internacional de la Constituci&oacute;n in Alcobendas on Sunday (26).
By winning the senior women&rsquo;s 8km race in 27:20, Aprot joins an illustrious list of past champions which includes compatriots Sally Barsosio (1995), Linet Masai (2008, 2015) and Vivian Cheruiyot (2009).
Her winning margin wasn&rsquo;t quite as emphatic here but the world and Olympic 10,000m fourth-place finisher was still a cut above a predominantly domestic field. Spain's Trihas Gebre matched Aprot in the opening stages but ran an isolated race for the most part, finishing 34 seconds behind the Kenyan but 30 seconds ahead of third-place finisher Ana Lozano.
Aprot, who won a silver medal at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Kampala in March, has said she is targeting the Commonwealth Games on the track in Gold Coast, Australia, next April.
In the senior men&rsquo;s 10km, Eritrea&rsquo;s Aron Kifle, 19, easily prevailed ahead of defending champion Timothy Toroitich from Uganda, 29:22 to 29:57. In doing so, Kifle became the fourth Eritrean winner in race history after Zersenay Tadese (2005), Kidane Tadese (2011) and Teklemariam Medhin (2012).
Adel Mechaal finished a creditable third on home soil, one place ahead of world cross-country seventh-place finisher Vincent Rono from Kenya.
<h3>Swedish double in Tilburg; Reh upsets Klosterhalfen in Darmstadt</h3>
Sweden&rsquo;s Napoleon Solomon extended his unbeaten streak this autumn with victory at the Warandeloop in Tilburg on Sunday (26).
Solomon, who was crowned Nordic cross-country champion in Middlefart, Denmark, a fortnight ago, won the senior men&rsquo;s 10.3km in 31:40 to defeat former champions Richard Ringer from Germany (31:46) and Khalid Choukoud from the Netherlands (31:54).
World and Olympic 1500m finalist Meraf Bahta relied on her middle distance speed to outsprint defending champion Fabienne Schlumpf from Switzerland in the senior women&rsquo;s 8.3km, winning by two seconds in 28:41.
At the Darmstadt Cross on Sunday (26), Alina Reh handed Konstanze Klosterhalfen a rare domestic defeat in the senior women&rsquo;s 6.6km.
Reh gradually countered Klosterhalfen&rsquo;s break on the last lap before pulling away for a two-second victory, 21:23 to 21:25. They finished more than a minute clear of Kenya&rsquo;s Betty Chepkwony in third in 22:45.
Reh and Klosterhalfen have won a combined total of four European U20 titles and they will both step up to contest the U23 race at the European Cross Country Championships in Samorin, Slovakia on 10 December.
Amanal Petros, who will also contest the U23 race in Samorin next month, won the senior men&rsquo;s race in 27:24 by three seconds from Abdi Uya.
At the Easykit Cross Cup event in Roeselare on Sunday (26), Soufiane Bouchikhi easily won the senior men&rsquo;s 9.4km in 28:52 with Isaac Kimeli and Bashir Abdi only sixth and ninth respectively.&nbsp;Ekaterina Sokolenko won the senior women&rsquo;s 6.25km in 21:57.
<h3>Gorecka returns to winning ways in Liverpool</h3>
Emelia Gorecka&rsquo;s progression into the senior ranks has been stymied by a stress fracture in her foot but the 23-year-old produced one of her biggest wins since her junior days at the Liverpool Cross Challenge on Saturday (25).
Gorecka won the senior women&rsquo;s 8km in 27:59 to secure her place on the British team for the European Cross Country Championships next month. Gorecka has twice won the U20 title and will make her senior debut next month.
Gorecka ran out the winner by six seconds ahead of Jessica Judd &ndash; who is still eligible for the U23 race in Samorin &ndash; with 2014 European cross-country champion Gemma Steel third in 28:16.
Ben Connor won the senior men&rsquo;s 10km in 30:18 by two seconds from Alex Teuten. Less than a month after making a 2:09:49 marathon debut in Frankfurt, Dewi Griffiths was a competitive fourth in 30:27, one place and 10 seconds ahead of world and Olympic 5000m finalist Andrew Butchart.
At the Canadian Cross Country Championships in Kingston on Saturday (25), Lucas Bruchet took a gun-to-tape win in the senior men&rsquo;s 10km in 30:20 ahead of marathon runner Eric Gillis in 30:41 while Claire Sumner won the senior women&rsquo;s race in 34:48.
After winning the second leg of the series, Emmanuel Bett also prevailed at the third leg of the Athletics Kenya Cross Country Series in Ol Kalou on Saturday (25).
Bett won the senior men&rsquo;s 10km in 29:14 in a sprint finish from Franklin Ngelel while 19-year-old Sandra Chebet won the senior women&rsquo;s race by more than 40 seconds in 33:21.
Steven Mills for the IAAF

After winning the Cross Internacional de Soria by 48 seconds last weekend, Kenya’s Alice Aprot took another runaway victory on Spanish soil at the Cross Internacional de la Constitución in Alcobendas on Sunday (26).

Aprot dominates proceedings again in Alcobendas – cross-country round-up

Capping an unprecedented display of team dominance, Irene Chepet Cheptai led a mighty Kenyan senior women&rsquo;s squad to the first-ever top-six sweep at a World Cross Country Championships.
Cheptai, who arrived in the Ugandan capital undefeated this cross country season, broke from teammates Alice Aprot and Lilian Kasait Rengeruk in the final kilometre to reach the line in 31:57 over the 10km course, four seconds clear of Aprot, and 52 seconds before the first woman not wearing a Kenyan team kit.
In between, Rengeruk, world steeplechase champion Hyvin Kyeng, Agnes Tirop and Olympic 1500m champion Faith Kipyegon all in turn paraded across the line, living up admirably to their &lsquo;team to beat&rsquo; billing.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We cooperated together and helped each other,&rdquo; said Cheptai, who turned in top-10 finishes at the past two editions of these championships. "But it was a very tough race, not easy."
Perhaps, but tougher still for anyone trying to muscle their way into the Kenyan juggernaut.
When the team compositions were finally announced earlier in the week, it was clear that it would take a Herculean effort by long-time rival Ethiopia to defend their women&rsquo;s team title from 2015 when they stopped a Kenyan team gold streak at four. But few would have ventured to predict that a historical one-through-six finish was in the making.
But it didn&rsquo;t come as a complete shock, at least not to Aprot, the African cross country and 10,000m champion.
&ldquo;We just planned to run at the front and push, and if we did that we hoped to finish one, two, three.&rdquo;
Aprot was half right.&nbsp;
With the mercury rising to 26C at start time and precious little shade to shelter the runners from the sun, the race began on the conservative side over the first lap, with just five seconds separating a group of 25 over the first two-kilometre loop.
The Kenyan sextet got to work over the next circuit which reduced the lead pack to a group of eight with Aprot, Rengeruk and Cheptai confidently guiding the pack. Sebere Teferi of Ethiopia, the runner-up two years ago, was also there, along with Bahrain's Olympic steeplechase champion Ruth Jebet and the other three Kenyans: Kipyegon, defending world cross-country champion Agnes Tirop and Kiyeng.
A lap later, the podium sweep was all but secure, with Aprot, Rengeruk and Cheptai taking up the pacing duties, and Kipyegon, less than a second back, playing the rear guard ahead of Teferi who was the last non-Kenyan left standing between a Kenyan perfect 10-point tally and an unprecedented top-six sweep.
Aprot, Cheptai and Rengeruk entered the final lap with a 14-second lead. Behind them, Kiyeng moved into fourth while Kipyegon, another six seconds back, kept her in her sights. Tirop meanwhile, who struggled and fell off the pace midway through the third lap, rebounded to pass Teferi and bring up the rear guard.
There was no stopping Cheptai after she made her move in the waning minutes over what is her favourite distance. The smile was instant.
"Yes, I was very, very happy," she said.&nbsp;
Aprot was next in 32:01 with Rengeruk coming home in bronze position 10 seconds later.
Kiyeng and Tirop were next running nearly stride-for-stride to finish fourth and fifth in 32:32. Kipyegon, who had never seriously contested a race this long, was sixth in 32:49, holding off Jebet's late race charge by less than a second.
Belaynesh Oljira was the first Ethiopian in eighth overall in 32:53, with Bahrain's Rose Chelimo and Ethiopia's Teferi rounding out the top 10.
For Kenya it was their 12th senior women&rsquo;s team title and fifth out of the past six editions. For Ethiopia, the distant runners-up with 45 points, their fifth team silver in the past six editions.
Bahrain, led by Jebet and Chelimo, were third with 59 points. Uganda showed well, tallying 68 points for fourth, well ahead of fifth-placed USA who scored 90.
Bob Ramsak for the IAAF

Capping an unprecedented display of team dominance, Irene Chepet Cheptai led a mighty Kenyan senior women’s squad to the first-ever top-six sweep at a World Cross Country Championships.

Cheptai leads unprecedented top-six sweep for Kenya – IAAF World Cross Country Championships Kampala 2017

After Ethiopia prevented Kenya from winning a fifth successive senior women's team title two years ago in Guiyang, the east African powerhouse comes armed and ready to recoup from that loss and begin another streak at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships Kampala 2017 on Sunday.
Heading the Kenyan squad is Agnes Tirop, the winner two years ago, who is bidding to become the first back-to-back champion since Tirunesh Dibaba in 2005-2006, before the championships shifted to its current biennial schedule.
The 21-year-old has struggled to distinguish herself since, however, although her fifth-place finish at the national championships last month was enough to earn the chance to defend her crown in a competition where she'll be part of a Kenyan all-star line-up.&nbsp;
There's Faith Kipyegon, just 23, and already the Olympic 1500m champion. While her Rio triumph was paved by world youth and junior titles over the distance, she's hardly a slouch off the track or at longer distances.
After a solid fourth-place showing in the junior race in her World Cross debut in 2010, she won back-to-back U20 titles in 2012 and 2013, and followed up with her first title in the senior ranks when she won the African crown in 2014.
This season she was second in San Giorgio su Lignano over 6km and third at the Kenyan Cross Country Championships over 10km.
Meanwhile, Alice Aprot brings solid credentials at 10,000m, having won the African Games title over the distance in 2015, the African title in 2016, and finishing fourth in Rio where her sub-30-minute run left her without a medal.
More recently, she won the always difficult Kenyan Prisons cross-country title in late January and finished fourth at the national championships a month ago to book her ticket to Kampala. This will be the 23-year-old's second appearance at a World Cross, after a ninth-place showing in the junior race in 2010. She also took the continental cross-country title last year.
Irene Cheptai brings experience with her third straight appearance in a Kenyan vest at these championships. The junior runner-up in 2008, she was 10th in the senior race in 2013 and seventh two year later. Boding well, she has won each of her three cross-country races this year, including the national title one month ago.
The squad also includes world steeplechase champion and Olympic silver medallist Hyvin Kiyeng, who is making her first appearance at the World Cross.
Meanwhile, Lilian Kasait, the 2013 world U18 champion at 3000m and still 19, finished second in both Eldoret and at the national championships to earn her spot.
And for good measure, the roster also includes Margaret Wambui, the world indoor and Olympic 800m bronze medallist.
The Ethiopian team is also potent, but by comparison, almost low-key.
<h3>Teferi leads Ethiopian hopes</h3>
Leading the squad is Senbere Teferi, who finished five seconds behind Tirop to take silver two years ago. Later that year she also took silver over 5000m at the IAAF World Championships Beijing 2015, and finished fifth over the distance in Rio last summer. She has impressed this cross-country season, taking victories in Seville and Elgoibar, Spain, on successive weekends in January.
Belaynesh Oljira, who&rsquo;ll be making her fifth straight appearance at a World Cross, brings the most experience after finishing 10th, fifth, third and ninth in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2015.
Dera Dida, the runner-up in the junior race in Guiyang, returns for her first senior national team appearance. She has been busy on the roads; most recently she clocked a 1:08:06 lifetime best in January's Houston Half Marathon. Likewise with Gebeyanesh Ayele, the runner-up at January's Xiamen Marathon where she clocked 2:34:07.
Rounding out the team is Sentayehu Lewetegn, 20, runner-up at 5000m at the 2015 African Junior Championships, and 20-year-old Zerfie Limeneh whose best international appearance came at the African Cross Country Championships last year where she was seventh in the junior race.
Uganda finished third in the team race two years ago, and will be gunning for a similar performance on home soil. They'll need a strong performance from Mercyline Chelangat, still 19, who won the national title on this course in January to follow up her fourth-place finish in the 5000m at the World U20 Championships last July. Emily Chebet, who was part of the 2015 bronze medal team, returns as well.
Making a stronger case for a podium finish in the team hunt is Bahrain led by Olympic steeplechase champion Ruth Jebet. Ninth in the junior race two years ago, she has risen to an entirely different plane in the interim and could be a factor.
She will be backed up by Rose Chelimo, who was eighth in the Olympic marathon, Eunice Chumba, the Asian cross-country champion, and Bontu Rebitu, the world U20 5000m bronze medallist. In the latter half of January, Rebitu was third at the Cinque Mullini cross country and won in San Sebastian.
Elsewhere, the race will likely be among those with ambitions to break into the top 10, or at least, break through the east African wall.
Among the leading European hopes is Spanish champion Trihas Gebre, who also turned in top-three finishes in Amorbieta and Elgoibar in January.
Canada&rsquo;s Sasha Gollish arrives on the heels of her victory at the NACAC Championships.
Mao Ichiyama, 19, showed promise after winning the Japanese title last month.
Athletes from 34 countries are entered.
Bob Ramsak for the IAAF

After Ethiopia prevented Kenya from winning a fifth successive senior women's team title two years ago in Guiyang, the east African powerhouse comes armed and ready to recoup from that loss and begin another streak at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships Kampala 2017 on Sunday.

Senior women's preview – IAAF World Cross Country Championships Kampala 2017

In the seventh part of our 2016 end-of-year reviews, statisticians A Lennart Julin and Mirko Jalava look back on the best road and cross-country performances of the year.
<h3>Men&rsquo;s marathon</h3>
2016 was another great season for the men&rsquo;s marathon, with several attempts at Dennis Kimetto&rsquo;s world record of 2:02:57.
Ethiopia&rsquo;s Tesfaye Abera won the first fast marathon of the year in January in Dubai in 2:04:24, but the first real threat to the world record came from Eliud Kipchoge. The 32-year-old Kenyan won in London in April, clocking 2:03:05 to get within eight seconds of the record.
This world-leading mark stood until the end of September, when Kenenisa Bekele took a turn at attacking the world record. The Ethiopian won a tight race in Berlin in 2:03:03, just missing the record, with Kenyan Wilson Kipsang in second in 2:03:13.
The Olympic marathon was a high standard one too. Kipchoge, the world leader at the time of the Games, won by a clear margin and the race was decided well before the final sprint. The Kenyan, who had previously earned Olympic 5000m bronze in 2004 and silver in 2008, clocked 2:08:44 in Rio with Ethiopia&rsquo;s Tokyo Marathon champion Feyisa Lilesa taking the silver in 2:09:54. In just the second marathon of his career, USA&rsquo;s Galen Rupp bagged the bronze in 2:10:05.
<h3>Men&rsquo;s half marathon</h3>
Like with the full marathon distance, the standard has quickly changed in the men&rsquo;s half marathon. 10 years ago a time of about 60 minutes was a rare feat, but in 2016 a total of 26 runners ran faster than that mark.
The IAAF World Half Marathon Championships Cardiff 2016 was the main competition of the season at the 13.1-mile distance. Held in difficult wet and windy conditions, it was a decisive Kenyan triumph as Geoffrey Kamworor successfully defended his title in 59:10 to finish 26 seconds ahead of compatriot Bedan Karoki.
Such was the quality of the race, double world and Olympic champion Mo Farah had to sprint at the end to beat Ethiopia&rsquo;s Abayneh Abyele for the bronze medal as both men clocked 59:59.
Solomon Yego&rsquo;s 58:44 in Ostia in March was the fastest time of the year. James Wangari, also from Kenya, won two big races. The 22-year-old grabbed the top podium in Milan in March in 59:12 and went on to win in Copenhagen in September, clocking 59:07 for the second-fastest time of the season.
<h3>Other men&rsquo;s road events</h3>
The fastest 10km was run by Zane Robertson in Berlin in October. The Kiwi athlete, who set a national 10,000m record of 27:33.67 while finishing 12th at the Olympics, won in 27:28 to finish 50 seconds in front of Eritrea&rsquo;s Awet Habte.
Just weeks before taking the silver medal at the World Half Marathon Championships, Karoki won the World&rsquo;s Best 10K in San Juan. In a tight finish, the 26-year-old clocked 27:42 with fellow Kenyan Leonard Barsoton taking second place with the same time. Kenyans took the first five places in San Juan, with Stephen Sambu in third in 27:48.
The Birell Grand Prix in Prague has swiftly established itself as one of the top 10km races in the world. In September, Kenya&rsquo;s Abraham Kipyatich won this year&rsquo;s race in a PB of 27:40, which was a world-leading mark at the time.
Daniel Wanjiru was second in 27:43 and Emmanuel Kipsang third in 27:47, both personal bests. Kenyans amazingly took the first 11 places, with five of them running faster than 28 minutes.
Mustapha El Aziz ran a PB of 27:33 in Marrakech in October for the second-fastest 10km of the year.
<h3>Men&rsquo;s cross country</h3>
Had there been an IAAF World Cross Country Championships in 2016, Aweke Ayalew would likely have finished much higher than his 10th-place finish from 2015.
The Bahraini runner put together a strong winter season at the start of 2016, winning in Antrim and Elgoibar in January, followed by a second-place finish in San Vittore Olona. He also won the Arab cross-country title in February and finished third at the Asian Cross Country Championships two weeks later.
Ayalew has also started the current cross-country season in good form, winning in Atapuerca, finishing second in Allonnes and winning in Venta de Banos.
Five years on from taking the world cross-country title, Imane Merga remains one of the best runners in the world on the surface. The Ethiopian triumphed in San Giorgio su Legnano and San Sebastian in January, but more recently had to settle for third place behind Ayalew and Uganda&rsquo;s Timothy Toroitich in Atapuerca.
Geoffrey Kamworor ventured on to the mud just twice this year, but both times he showed exactly why he is the world cross-country champion. He won the Kenyan Police cross-country title in January by finishing 38 seconds ahead of Augustine Choge and 55 seconds in front of Asbel Kiprop. He followed that with a convincing win at the highly competitive IAAF Cross Country Permit race in Nairobi.
<h3>Women&rsquo;s marathon</h3>
With more than just three potential gold medallists each, the Kenyan and Ethiopian federations had almost impossible jobs to select their Olympic marathon teams.
Trial competitions or statistics can be used to good effect when selecting athletes for other events, but not so much in the marathon where athletes compete just a couple of times each year and where conditions can vary from race to race.
Ultimately, both nations selected the same athletes that had competed at the IAAF World Championships Beijing 2015: Kenya&rsquo;s Helah Kiprop, Jemima Sumgong and Visiline Jepkesho, and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Mare Dibaba, Tigist Tufa and Tirfe Tsegaye.
At the Olympics, seven runners were still in contention at 35 kilometres, but soon after the race became a three-way battle between world champion Dibaba, London Marathon winner Sumgong and world bronze medallist Eunice Kirwa of Bahrain. Sumgong proved to be the strongest of the trio and won in 2:24:04 to become the first Kenyan woman to win Olympic gold in the marathon.
The six races constituting the World Marathon Majors saw winners from Kenya in Tokyo (Kiprop 2:21:27), London (Sumgong 2:22:58), Chicago (Florence Kiplagat 2:21:32) and New York (Mary Keitany 2:24:26) while Ethiopia triumphed in Boston (Atsede Baysa 2:29:19) and Berlin (Aberu Kebede 2:20:45).
However, the fastest time of 2016 came in the first month of the year when Tsegaye ran 2:19:41 for the win in Dubai.
Kiplagat (2:23:39 London) and Kebede (2:23:01 Tokyo) had both run well in the spring but missed out on Olympic selection. Others who were similarly unlucky to miss out on the Olympics included Hamburg and Amsterdam winner Meselech Melkamu and two-time world champion Edna Kiplagat, who ran 2:22:36 in Tokyo and 2:23:28 in Chicago.
<h3>Women&rsquo;s half marathon</h3>
Even though the half marathon is not part of summer global championships, it has established itself as an event in its own right. And this year the half-marathon specialists had medals to chase at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships Cardiff 2016.
Long before the half-way mark, the top eight consisted of five Kenyans and three Ethiopians and, as expected, the race quickly developed into a battle between the two east African nations. In the end Kenya swept the medals with Peres Jepchirchir winning the title ahead of Cynthia Limo and Mary Wacera.
Jepchirchir is very much a half-marathon specialist. She has never competed internationally on the track or in the marathon, but in 2016 she ran six international half marathons between 1:06:30 and 1:08:30, scoring wins in Yangzhou, Usti nad Labem and Valencia.
Although they were not selected for the World Half Marathon Championships, Jepchirchir&rsquo;s compatriot Violah Jepchumba and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Worknesh Degefa were similarly prolific specialists. Jepchumba won four of her five races at the distance, winning in Gothenburg, Istanbul, Cardiff and Prague, clocking a world-leading 1:05:51 at the latter.
Degefa, the winner of the Rome-Ostia and New Delhi races, had fewer victories but more sub-68-minute performances to her credit as she bettered that barrier on four occasions.
In terms of overall quality and depth, the best race was Ras Al Khaimah in February when the top six all ran faster than 1:07, led by Cynthia Limo&rsquo;s winning performance of 1:06:04.
This year also marked the half marathon&rsquo;s first appearance at the European Championships. Portugal&rsquo;s Sara Moreira won the title in 1:10:19.
<h3>Other women&rsquo;s road events</h3>
Despite the ever increasing number of international 10km races, Paula Radcliffe&rsquo;s world record of 30:21 from 2003 remained intact for another year. But in 2016 it came under serious threat from Violah Jepchumba.
Even more remarkable is that Jepchumba came within eight seconds of the mark en route to her 1:05:51 half-marathon victory in Prague in April. The Kenyan returned to the Czech capital in September for a standalone 10km race and won in 30:24, the second-fastest time in history.
In the right conditions, Radcliffe&rsquo;s 30:21 could soon be erased from the record books. And given the standard on the track at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, the first sub-30-minute performance on the roads could soon be on the cards.
Alice Aprot, who finished fourth in Rio in 29:53.51, looks as though she could be the woman to break both of those marks as she has shown she has the necessary tools to keep a fast and even pace by herself and is capable of winning on all types of surfaces.
<h3>Women&rsquo;s cross country</h3>
With no IAAF World Cross Country Championships in 2016, many top distance runners had limited seasons on the international level.
Of the world&rsquo;s best track specialists, most ran just the odd cross-country race, while others didn&rsquo;t compete on the surface at all. But some &ndash; such as Olympic 1500m champion Faith Kipyegon and Olympic steeplechase champion Ruth Jebet &ndash; used the cross-country season as an integral part of their preparation for the summer.
Kipyegon had two decisive triumphs in IAAF Cross Country Permit races in January, winning the Cross de Italica in Spain by 20 seconds and the Cinque Mulini in Italy by 48 seconds.
Jebet also had two January races on the IAAF Cross Country Permit circuit, finishing second in San Giorgio su Legnano and fifth in Antrim. In February she collected silver medals at the Arab Cross Country Championships and the Asian Cross Country Championships.
But the outstanding runner of the season was Alice Aprot who, in addition to her wins in San Giorgio su Legnano and Antrim, also dominated the permit event at home in Nairobi in February. She also triumphed at the African Cross Country Championships in March.
Aprot has also already opened this winter season with two races in Spain in November, finishing third in Atapuerca and first in Soria.
The European Cross Country Championships in December was dominated by Turkey as Yasemin Can and Meryem Akda scored a convincing 1-2, finishing half a minute ahead of third place.
Mirko Jalava (men&rsquo;s events) and A Lennart Julin (women&rsquo;s events) for the IAAF

In the seventh part of our 2016 end-of-year reviews, statisticians A Lennart Julin and Mirko Jalava look back on the best road and cross-country performances of the year.

2016 end-of-year reviews – road and cross country

Employing her trademark front-running tactics, Olympic 10,000m fourth-placer Alice Aprot claimed a comprehensive victory over 8km at the 23rd edition of the&nbsp;Campo a Traves Internacional de Soria&nbsp;in the north-central Spanish city on Sunday (20).
Aprot became the third successive Kenyan winner of the women&rsquo;s senior race in Soria and the 12th in event history, following in the footsteps of prestigious names such as Sally Barsosio (1994), Vivian Cheruiyot (2007), Linet Masai (2009, 2015) and Mercy Cherono (2014).
Aprot covered the 8km course in 26:18 and defeated a solid international field in the process. Uganda&rsquo;s Juliet Chekwel, who has twice finished inside the top-15 at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, was a distant second in 27:30 with Olympic 1500m finalist Sofia Ennaoui from Poland third in 27:51.
Timothy Toroitich was narrowly outsprinted in Atapuerca last weekend but the Ugandan was back in winning form in Soria where he became the first three-time winner in race history.
Toroitich covered the 10km in 29:10 to defeat Eritrea&rsquo;s world U20 10,000m silver medallist Aron Kifle - who is eligible for the U20 race at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Kampala next March - by ten seconds while his namesake Goitom Kifle (no relation) finished third in 29:44.
Three-time Olympian Alessandra Aguilar also claimed a hat-trick of victories in Toledo at the&nbsp;Cross Nacional Trofeo Espada Toledana&nbsp;over 7km in 24:35 while Antonio Abadia won the men&rsquo;s 9km in 27:47.
<h3>Tiernan upsets Cheserek at the NCAA Championships</h3>
Last year&rsquo;s runner-up Pat Tiernan ended Kenyan Edward Cheserek&rsquo;s reign at the&nbsp;NCAA Cross Country Championships&nbsp;with victory on a sodden and windswept course in Terre Haute, Indiana, on Saturday (19).
Cheserek was looking to claim an unprecedented fourth successive victory but the University of Oregon standout, who began as the overwhelming favourite, had to settle for a distant third in 29:48 over 10km behind Australian Tiernan (29:22) and Syracuse's Justyn Knight (29:28) from Canada.
&ldquo;Everybody in the race is on an equal level when you get there, and anybody's beatable at the end of the day,&rdquo; said Tiernan, who is coached by former three-time world indoor 1500m champion Marcus O&rsquo;Sullivan at the University of Villanova.
Missouri&rsquo;s Karissa Schweizer outsprinted two of the pre-race favourites - Michigan&rsquo;s Erin Finn and Notre Dame&rsquo;s Anna Rohrer - for victory on the 6km course in 19:42 to win by three seconds while Northern Arizona and Oregon won the men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s team titles respectively.
<h3>World U20 champions defeat the seniors in Allonnes</h3>
Aweke Ayalew defeated a world-class field at the opening leg of the IAAF Cross Country Permit Series in Atapuerca last weekend but the Bahraini was humbled by 16-year-old upstart Selemon Barega from Ethiopia at the&nbsp;Cross Le Maine Libre&nbsp;in Allonnes, France, on Sunday.&nbsp;
Barega, who won the 5000m title at the World U20 Championships in Bydgoszcz this summer, covered the 9.39km course in 27:13 to defeat Ayalew by two seconds with Morocco&rsquo;s Soufiane El Bakkali third in 27:32.
Beyenu Degefa set a championship record to win the 3000m in Bydgoszcz and the 17-year-old dominated a strong field on her international cross country debut. She won the senior women&rsquo;s 6.05km in 19:29 ahead of Etagagne Woldu (19:51) and world U20 1500m champion Adanech Anbesa (20:03). &nbsp;&nbsp;
Germany&rsquo;s Konstanze Klosterhalfen is in form to sign off her junior career with a successful defence of her junior title at the European Cross Country Championships in Chia, Italy, on 11 December.
Klosterhalfen, who won a bronze medal over 3000m behind Degefa in Bydgoszcz, opened her cross country season with victory in the junior women&rsquo;s 4.2km in the&nbsp;Darmstadt Cross&nbsp;on Sunday in 14:06 ahead of European junior 3000m and 5000m champion Alina Reh (14:38).
Kenyans took a one-two in the senior men&rsquo;s 9.1km courtesy of Daniel Kemoi (27:29) and Alex Kibarus (27:53) while Caterina Granz won the senior women&rsquo;s 6.6km in 23:31 ahead of Julia Bleasdale (23:40), who acquired German citizenship earlier this year.
<h3>Jepkosgei prevails in Nyahururu</h3>
Joyciline Jepkosgei opened her cross country season with a commanding victory in the senior women&rsquo;s race at the third leg of the&nbsp;Athletics Kenya Cross Country Series&nbsp;in Nyahururu on Saturday (19).
Jepkosgei, who has lowered her 10km lifetime best to 31:08 this season, claimed victory over the same distance in 33:20 ahead of Beatrice Mutai (33:37) and former world youth 1500m champion Sheila Chepkirui (33:49).&nbsp;
The men&rsquo;s senior race was a closer affair with Kenyan international Geoffrey Koech winning in 29:10 ahead of Vincent Rono (29:14) and Franklin Ngelel (29:15).
There was an upset in the junior women&rsquo;s 6km with former world U20 3000m medallist silver Lilian Kasait - who didn&rsquo;t make the team for Bydgoszcz this year - returning to form with victory in 19:13 ahead of Sandra Chebet in 19:44.
Chebet, who finished fifth in the 3000m in Bydgoszcz, will be eligible for the U20 race at the World Cross Country Championships in Kampala next March but Kasait will move up into the senior ranks in 2017.
Newcomer Nicholas Chelule won the junior men&rsquo;s 8km in 23:26.
Steven Mills for the IAAF
&nbsp;

A summary of weekend international cross country competitions in Soria, Terre Haute, Allonnes and Nyahururu.

Aprot decimates opposition in Soria – cross-country round-up

Edwin Kiptoo and Alice Aprot of Kenyan were the winners at the 32nd Dam tot Damloop, an IAAF Silver Label Road Race from Amsterdam to Zaandam, Netherlands, on Sunday (18).
In a repeat of his finish last year, Kiptoo was alone at the finish line of the traditional 10-mile race, clocking 45:25, the fastest time in the world this year. But in contrast to his race one year ago, when he grabbed the lead from the gun and ran the length of the race virtually alone, this year he had Uganda's Joshua Cheptegei as a worthy opponent.
Cheptegei, 20, who finished a notable sixth in the 10,000m at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, ran even with Kiptoo and even controlled the pace for a stretch at the 10-kilometre point. But a kilometre later, Kiptoo took command to register a 13-second victory over Cheptegei who clocked 45:38. Abrar Osman from Eritrea was third clocking 46:12.
In the women's contest, Aprot, who was fourth in the Olympic 10,000m last month in 29:53.51, took command early in the longest race of her career. If she struggled with the extra mileage, it didn't show.
The 22-year-old won comfortably in 51:59, more than half a minute clear of Tejitu Daba of Bahrain who clocked 52:34. Further back, Kenyan Luci Karimi, the winner of this year's Prague Marathon, was third in 53:03.
Traditionally the elite women start six minutes and four seconds before the elite men, the difference in the course records between the genders -- Ingrid Kristiansen's 50:31 from 1987 and Leonard Patrick Komon's 44:27 run from 2011. That sometimes sets up a hotly-contested battle between the men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s leaders in the waning stages.
Kiptoo won that battle once again as well, making up the difference about two kilometres from the finish before pulling away.
The leading Dutch runners were Elizeba Cherono, who was fifth in the women's race in 53:26, and Abdi Nageeye, 11th in the men's contest in 48:17.
Conditions at race time were cloudy and warm, with temperatures rising to nearly 20 F, with light winds and 85% humidity.
With 45,000 participants starting the race, the Dam tot Damloop is the largest 10-mile race in the world. Another 13,000 runners competed in a five-mile race on Saturday night while 4000 participated in children's events Sunday morning.
Eric Roeske, organisers and Bob Ramsak for the IAAF

Edwin Kiptoo and Alice Aprot of Kenyan were the winners at the 32nd Dam tot Damloop, an IAAF Silver Label Road Race from Amsterdam to Zaandam, Netherlands, on Sunday (18).

Kiptoo and Aprot take Dam tot Damloop titles

Edwin Kiptoo is eager to defend his title at the &ldquo;Dam tot Damloop&rdquo;, an IAAF silver label road race in the Netherlands, on Sunday (18).
The Damloop is a 10 mile point-to-point race, from the heart of Amsterdam to the city center of Zaandam over a course which includes passing through the long tunnel under the IJ River.
Traditionally the elite women start six minutes before the elite men, the rounded-up difference in the course records between the genders. That sometimes sets up a hotly-contested battle between the men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s leaders in the waning stages, one Kiptoo is keenly looking forward to.
&ldquo;Last year I didn&rsquo;t expect to win here,&rdquo; Kiptoo said. &ldquo;This year I&rsquo;m better prepared and I really want to defend my title. Not only in the men&rsquo;s race, but I will hunt for the women again like I did in 2015.&rdquo;
Last year Kiptoo took control of the pace from the start and was running all alone after just two kilometres, chasing the women&rsquo;s pack. In the final kilometre he overhauled Joyce Chepkirui to win with a personal best of 45:19.
Kiptoo, 23, twice dipped under the one-hour mark in the half marathon, his 59:26 in New Delhi a personal best. In March he was ninth at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in Cardiff clocking 1:01:21.
&ldquo;I will stick to the half marathon for the time being,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t have plans for a full marathon yet.&rdquo; He will however return to the Dutch capital in October to serve as a pacesetter in the Amsterdam Marathon.
Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda is expected to be Kiptoo&rsquo;s primary opponent. At the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, the 20-year-old finished an admirable sixth in the 10,000m, running a personal best of 27:10.17. He was also eighth in the 5000m final in 13:09.17. He produced his personal best of 13:00.60 when finishing second at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Shanghai, in a season that witnessed his rise as the most promising athlete from Uganda at the moment.
Abdi Nageeye is the Dutch favourite this year, although he may not be fully recovered from the Olympic marathon. He finished 11th in 2:13:01 but has a 2:10:24 personal best set in Amsterdam last year.
&ldquo;My performance (in Rio) was a little bit less than I had hoped for,&rdquo; Nageeye said, &ldquo;but it is also good motivation for the years to come.&rdquo;
<h3>Aprot up to the challenge</h3>
But these men will also face a strong contender from the women&rsquo;s field, the favourite Alice Aprot.
The 22-year-old Kenyan made a strong impression in Rio, where she finished fourth in the 10,000m with a personal best of 29:53.51 after leading the field through the first half of the race in just under 14:47. It was a pace that helped bring Almaz Ayana to her world record.
&ldquo;I just like to lead a race at a fast pace,&rdquo; Aprot said, reflecting on her performance at the Olympics. She made it clear that she&rsquo;s still in strong shape after a solid 14:39.56 performance in the Van Damme Memorial 5000m last weekend at the IAAF Diamond League final in Brussels, finishing seventh.
But Aprot is also a force in cross country where she&rsquo;s also achieved some success. This year she won the African title in Yaound&eacute; and races in St. Giorgio su Legnano, Nairobi and Antrim.
&ldquo;When I run on the track, I put my mind on the track. And I do the same on the roads and in cross country,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;In all disciplines I just like to push and to run in front.&rdquo;
And that&rsquo;s what she&rsquo;ll want to do in the Damloop on Sunday. With a personal best of 31:02 over 10 kilometres on the road it will be interesting to see what Aprot can do over longer distances.&nbsp;
Ethiopian Meselech Melkamu is expected to be her strongest contender. At 30 and with five years of experience in the marathon, she&rsquo;ll be making her debut over the 10 mile distance.
The elite fields will lead 45,000 runners registered for the Damloop&rsquo;s 32nd edition. On Saturday night another 13,000 runners will race over half the distance. Combined, the weekend makes the Dam tot Damloop the largest road race in the Netherlands.
Cors van den Brink for the IAAF

Edwin Kiptoo is eager to defend his title at the “Dam tot Damloop”, an IAAF silver label road race in the Netherlands, on Sunday (18).

Kiptoo looking to defend at Dam tot Damloop

Kenyan Alice Aprot made a statement ahead of next week's Kenyan Olympic trials, shattering her personal best to win the women's 10,000m title at the African Championships in Durban on Saturday (25).
Aprot, 22, took control in the early stages, charging to victory in 30:26.94 to lead a Kenyan clean sweep of the medals.
Her time was the fastest in the world this year and the quickest ever run on African soil, as she bettered her previous career record of 31:24.18 which she set when winning the African Games crown in Brazzaville last year.
She finished well clear of Jackline Chepngeno, who finished second in 31:27.73, with Joyline Jepkosgei third in 31:28.28.
"I'm happy with that time... and running this time is important to me as it's an Olympic year," Aprot said.
"Winning the title gives me confidence for the Olympic trials because I know such a time is needed."
<h3>Title No. 5 for Viljoen</h3>
In the women's javelin throw final, local star Sunette Viljoen, the African record holder, bagged her fifth continental title with a 64.08m heave.
She won convincingly, with fellow South African Jo-Ane van Dyk taking the silver with 56.22m.
"I'm very proud of that, to have been continuously throwing for such a long time, and to be on top of the continent in an event which is held every second year, I'm very happy," Viljoen said.
Tosin Oke of Nigeria won the men's triple jump contest with a 17.13m leap, earning his third African crown in his specialist event, with a comfortable margin separating him from silver medallist Fabrice Zongo of Burkina Faso, whose best attempt of 16.81m bumped 2008 Olympic long jump silver medallist Khotso Mokoena into third. The South African athlete recorded a season's best of 16.77m.
In other disciplines, African Games champion Antonio Alkana won the men's 110m hurdles in 13.43, with Nigerian Tyron Atkins crossing the line second in 13.73. Hichem Cherabi of Algeria secured victory in the men's pole vault, clearing 5.30m.
Uhunoma Osazuwa of Nigeria won the heptathlon crown with a personal best 6153 points, while defending champion Marthe Koala of Burkina Faso racked up 5952 for the silver medal.
Eslam Ibrahim of Egypt pocketed gold in the men's hammer throw final with a best effort of 68.92m, edging out 43-year-old South African athlete Chris Harmse who finished second with 67.67m to secure his ninth medal at the biennial continental championships, 18 years after stepping onto the podium for the first time.
In preliminary rounds, 400m world champion Wayde van Niekerk of South Africa was the fastest qualifier in the men's 200m semifinals, clocking 20.03 to progress as the favourite for Sunday's final, and Gina Bass of Gambia was quickest of the women's 200m semi-finalists, crossing the line in 23.14.
After winning the women's 1500m final the day before, Caster Semenya returned to the track for the heats of her specialist 800m event and coasted into the final, clocking 2:02.01.
The biennial African Senior Championships will come to a close on Sunday.
Wesley Botton for the IAAF

Kenyan Alice Aprot made a statement ahead of next week's Kenyan Olympic trials, shattering her personal best to win the women's 10,000m title at the African Championships in Durban on Saturday (25).

Aprot takes African 10,000m title

Kenyan athletes won every available title &ndash; and 10 of the 12 individual medals on offer &ndash; at the 4th edition of the African Cross Country Championship in Yaounde, Cameroon, on Saturday (12).
Having finished third at the 2014 African Cross Country Championships in Kampala two years ago, Alice Aprot was this time in a class of her own and produced the most convincing victory of the day.
The All-Africa Games 10,000m champion hit the lead as soon as the gun fired and never looked back. She covered the 8km course in 29:52 to win by a staggering 52 seconds.
Sheila Chepkirui, the 2005 world youth 1500m champion, settled for second place in 30:44. Road-running specialist Beatrice Mutai, the older sister of world 1500m silver medallist Faith Kipyegon, was third in 31:08.
Five seconds behind the Kenyan medal sweep, world junior cross-country silver medallist Dera Dida finished fourth in 31:13 in what was her first international championships as a senior athlete. 2012 world junior steeplechase champion Daisy Jepkemei was Kenya&rsquo;s final scorer in fifth, clocking 31:29.
The last race of the day, the senior men&rsquo;s 10km, saw an epic sprint finish between Kenya&rsquo;s James Rungaru and Uganda&rsquo;s Philip Kipyeko.
After a conservative start led by the Kenyan runners, Kipyeko took the lead with four kilometres to go. He then started to push the pace, reducing the leading pack to four men with a lap to go.
With the final kilometre approaching, the lead group was quickly whittled down to three as Rungaru and Charles Yosei matched Kipyeko&rsquo;s pace. With Kipyeko threatening to end Kenya&rsquo;s dominance, it came down to a final fight for gold between him and Rungaru.
The long-striding Rungaru finally hit the front with 50 metres to go, outkicking Kipyeko to win by one second in 26:35, the smallest margin of victory in the senior men&rsquo;s race in the history of the African Cross Country Championships.
&ldquo;I have finally won after trying twice,&rdquo; said Rungaru after winning his first major title, having previously represented Kenya at the 2015 All-Africa Games and at the 2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships.
Kipyeko, on the other hand, led Uganda to a team silver medal to go with his individual one. Yosei took the bronze in 26:46, earning Kenya&rsquo;s 14th medal of the day.
<h3>Cherop and Kipsang take junior titles</h3>
The first race of the day saw 1500m specialist Miriam Cherop lead her compatriots to a perfect team score of 10 points as Kenya filled the top four positions in the junior women&rsquo;s race. Cherop, who hails from Bomet County, an area that has produced some of Kenya&rsquo;s finest talents, used her finishing speed to take a convincing victory in 18:31.
Gloria Kite, from Saint Patrick&rsquo;s High School in Iten and who is guided by renowned coach Brother Colm O&rsquo;Connell, edged out Winfred Mbithe by one second to take the silver medal. Lucy Cheruiyot finished fourth to give her team the perfect 10 points, while Ethiopian Muliye Dekobo was the first non-Kenyan finisher in fifth.
Isaac Kipsang, who finished third at last month&rsquo;s Kenyan Cross Country Championships, improved to the top spot in the junior men&rsquo;s race, finishing 11 seconds in front of newcomer Ronald Kiprotich. All-Africa Games 5000m finalist Aron Kifle of Eritrea denied a Kenyan medal sweep by taking third place.
African junior 1500m champion Anthony Kiptoo was fourth while stepbrothers Andrew Lorot and Nixon Kiplagat followed in fifth and sixth.
Kip Evans for the IAAF
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Senior men 10km 1 James Rungaru (KEN) 26:34 2 Phillip Kipyeko (UGA) 26:35 3 Charles Yosei (KEN) 26:46 4 Cleophas Ngetich (KEN) 26:52 5 Geoffrey Koech (KEN) 27:09 6 Getaneh Tamire (ETH) 27:13
Senior men team 1 Kenya 2 Uganda 3 Ethiopia
Senior women 8km 1 Alice Aprot (KEN) 29:52 2 Sheila Chepkirui (KEN) 30:44 3 Beatrice Mutai (KEN) 31:08 4 Dera Yami (ETH) 31:13 5 Daisy Chepkemei (KEN) 31:29 6 Nancy Nzisa (KEN) 31:30
Senior women team 1 Kenya 2 Ethiopia 3 South Africa
Junior men 8km 1 Isaac Kipsang (KEN) 21:33 2 Ronald Kiprotich (KEN) 21:44 3 Aron Kifle (ERI) 21:48 4 Anthony Kiptoo (KEN) 21:56 5 Andrew Lorot (KEN) 21:59 6 Nixon Kiplagat (KEN) 22:11
Junior men team 1 Kenya 2 Ethiopia 3 South Africa
Junior women 6km 1 Miriam Cherop (KEN) 18:31 2 Gloria Kite (KEN) 18:39 3 Winfredah Mbithe (KEN) 18:40 4 Lucy Cheruiyot (KEN) 18:42 5 Muliye Dekobo (ETH) 18:52 6 Tersit Desalgn (ETH) 19:02
Junior women team 1 Kenya 2 Ethiopia 3 Morocco

Kenyan athletes won every available title – and 10 of the 12 individual medals on offer – at the 4th edition of the African Cross Country Championship in Yaounde, Cameroon, on Saturday (12).

Kenya rules at African Cross Country Championships

World cross-country champion Geoffrey Kamworor prevailed after the expected battle with Bedan Karoki while Alice Aprot had a crushing victory as the pair took the senior titles at the IAAF Permit/Athletics Kenya National Cross Country meeting in Nairobi on Saturday (13).
The anticipated clash between the individual gold and silver medallists from Guiyang did not disappoint at the penultimate IAAF Cross Country Permit meeting for this winter, which also doubled as the Kenyan Cross Country Championships.
The two favourites were in a leading pack of six that separated themselves from the rest of the field four kilometres into the 10km race. The group at the front was reduced to three over the course of the next 2km lap with African cross-country champion Leonard Barsoton still staying with Kamworor and Karoki.
After the bell, Karoki surged with almost a kilometre still to go and Kamworor in hot pursuit while Barsoton started to struggle. But Kamworor's superior finishing speed proved to be decisive and, with the tape in sight, edged in front before winning in 28:19.
Karoki came home five seconds in arrears with Barsoton a further two seconds back.
&ldquo;My focus is the World Half Marathon Championships next month, where I&rsquo;m the champion and thereafter, I will start to prepare for the Olympics 10,000m in Rio to challenge my friend Mo (Farah)," said Kamworor. "That is my main focus.
&ldquo;I have gained a lot of experience and I&rsquo;m working to rectify for my mistakes," he added. "I did not have enough time to prepare for Beijing and this time I hope I will have the time to prepare for the Olympics."
&ldquo;Today&rsquo;s race was not easy," said Karoki. "I&rsquo;m happy to finish second here despite missing out on my fourth national title."
<h3>Aprot prospers from brotherly advice</h3>
Inside the first two kilometres of the corresponding women&rsquo;s 10km race, it was clear that the defending champion and pre-race favourite Faith Kipyegon was struggling. She later dropped out, citing illness after her return from Europe following wins on the IAAF Cross Country Permit circuit in Spain and Italy last month.
With the world 1500m silver medallist quickly out of the equation, Alice Aprot &ndash; a sister to the 2010 world cross country champion Joseph Ebuya &ndash; took charge, surging forward at four kilometres to capture her first domestic senior title in 31:13 and winning by more than a minute.
She is unbeaten this year with three consecutive wins at IAAF Cross Country Permit races, her previous victories coming last month at the Campaccio and Antrim events in Europe.
&ldquo;The race was not easy," she said. "The course was muddy and I kept slipping. I decided to go out early since I don&rsquo;t have good finishing speed, and leave it for the others to try to catch up. Having to drop out of the World Cross team last year motivated me to train harder since I was not happy at all.
&ldquo;My elder brother (Ebuya) has been encouraging me and that&rsquo;s why I&rsquo;m getting into better shape," she added. "As a junior runner I was afraid, but staying with senior athletes has given me more belief. My target for (the African Cross Country Championships on 12 March in) Cameroon is to win a medal."
With her younger and more famous sister Kipyegon out of the reckoning, Beatrice Mutai rallied over the last kilometre to land second place in 32:28.
&ldquo;My sister told me to go for it since she was not feeling well and I&rsquo;m happy to finish second and make the Kenya team (for the African Cross Country Championships)," said Mutai, who finished 11th at the 2013 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. "I opted to preserve my energy until the closing stages and go for it but Alice had opened a huge gap and finishing second in such a tough race is great."
Stepbrothers Nickson Kiplagat, 18, and Andrew Lorot, 19, who hail from the far-flung northern Rift Valley county of Pokot, dominated the closing stages of the junior men&rsquo;s 8km and finished in the first two places, the younger step-sibling winning in 22:46 and by one second.
&ldquo;If I go to Yaounde, I will go and bring something home," said Kiplagat. "I will train harder than I did for this race. I train with my brother in school so having him in this race helped us push."
&ldquo;The big challenge was that part of the course was water-logged," added Lorot, the African junior cross-country silver medallist. "I knew I could win but I let him do it today because he is my brother. We share the same father but different mothers. I will train thoroughly for Yaound&eacute; to have the victory to myself."
In the opening race of the day, Sandrafelis Chebet, the world youth steeplechase silver medallist, ran away from the field on the second of the three 2km laps in the junior women&rsquo;s 6km to win in 18:48, her fifth victory on home soil this winter.
Runners from Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Burundi, Sudan, Southern Sudan and Djibouti also took part in the IAAF Cross Country Permit meeting &nbsp;although it was dominated by home runners.
&ldquo;It was good coming here and running with the Kenyans,&rdquo; said Merhouwit Ghide, who will represent Eritrea in the forthcoming Africa Cross Country Championships. "It was tough but will help me run well for my country in Cameroon."
Mutwiri Mutuota for the IAAF
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Senior men (10km) 1 Geoffrey Kamworor 28:19 2 Bedan Karoki 28:24 3 Leonard Barsoton 28:26 4 Charles Mneria 28:28 5 Phillip Langat 28:29&nbsp;
Senior women (10km) 1 Alice Aprot 31:13 2 Beatrice Mutai 32:28 3 Sheila Chepkirui 32:34 4 Daisy Jepkemei 32:42 5 Janet Kisa 32:48
Junior men (8km) 1 Nickson Kiplagat 22:46 2 Andrew Lorot 22:47 3 Isaac Kipsang 22:49 4 Willy Kwemoi 22:55 5 Alfred Ngeno 23:00
Junior women (6km) 1 Sandrafelis Chebet 18:48 2 Miriam Cherop 19:12 3 Lucy Cheruiyot 19:13 4 Gloria Kite 19:17 5 Winfred Mbithe 19:23

World cross-country champion Geoffrey Kamworor prevailed after the expected battle with Bedan Karoki while Alice Aprot had a crushing victory as the pair took the senior titles at the IAAF Permit/Athletics Kenya National Cross Country meeting in Nairobi on Saturday (13).

Kamworor and Aprot win in Nairobi

Kenya&rsquo;s Alice Aprot and Bahrain&rsquo;s Aweke Ayalew triumphed at the Antrim International Cross Country in competitive races at the IAAF Cross Country Permit meeting on Sunday (16).Biting cold and muddy underfoot conditions greeted the runners in Greenmount for the annual international with an expected duel between Great Britain&rsquo;s Kate Avery and Ireland&rsquo;s Fionnuala McCormack in the women&rsquo;s 5.8km race never really materialising.McCormack ended up leading in the early stages by virtue of the fact of the conditions rather than a pre-race plan."In the first lap it kind of just happened," said the Irish woman on hitting the front on the rhythm-breaking course. "I think the Africans thought they could get around the mud but realised they couldn&rsquo;t. That&rsquo;s how I ended up at the front because I just went through it."But the two-time European cross-country champion couldn&rsquo;t hang on to the lead. Despite not feeling comfortable in the cold conditions, Aprot was an impressive victor in the end, winning in 18:05. Bahrain&rsquo;s Mimi Belete finished second in 18:09, just two seconds slower than her winning time from 2014.Aprot, the All-Africa Games 10,000m champion, was happy with her performance and this followed on from her course record at the Cross Campaccio in San Giorgio Su Legnano earlier in the month. &ldquo;The race was very competitive,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;It was muddy and I&rsquo;m happy for being the winner of today. The next race for me is to prepare for the trials (over 10,000m) for the Olympics.&rdquo;McCormack had the consolation of avenging her defeat to Avery last week at the Great Edinburgh X Country. They finished third and fourth respectively in 18:13 and 18:16.&ldquo;This was definitely real cross country today,&rdquo; said McCormack, who had drifted back to fourth for the middle part of the race. &ldquo;It was little hills but tough ones and the muck was better than a long time that I&rsquo;ve seen it. It was good. It would have been nice to have a bit of a kick at the end because you could see people struggling in front. But I think on a course like that when someone gets a gap, even though you can see them struggling, you&rsquo;re struggling yourself to get through the mud.&rdquo;Avery couldn't find her rhythm on the day but was reasonably pleased with her fourth-place finish and will now target the British Olympic 10,000m trials in Highgate in May. &ldquo;That was tough,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I just couldn&rsquo;t get into the rhythm. I&rsquo;d close the gap but then it would grow again. The mud was difficult and it was just too hard to close the gap by the time I got to the muddier parts on the camber.&rdquo;<h3>Short but sweet victory for Ayalew</h3>The men&rsquo;s race was shortened by a lap due to the course cutting up, but it didn&rsquo;t dampen the excitement with Bahrain&rsquo;s Aweke Ayalew winning a sprint to the line ahead of Uganda&rsquo;s two-time former winner Thomas Ayeko and Kenya&rsquo;s Timothy Cheruiyot.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m happy,&rdquo; said Ayalew of his win in 21:25 over the adjusted 7.2km course. When asked of the tough conditions, he smiled and said &ldquo;look&rdquo; gesturing towards his body covered in mud. &ldquo;It was tough and cold,&rdquo; he added with a laugh, content with his victory.Ayeko was happy with his performance, finishing second in the same time as Ayalew, but was left frustrated at missing out on his third win in Antrim. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m happy but with better conditions next year I think I can come back and win,&rdquo; said the Ugandan.Cheruiyot, who finished seventh in the 1500m at the IAAF World Championships Beijing 2015, was happy with his finish on his first visit to the UK. The Kenyan middle-distance specialist finished two seconds adrift of the leading pair in 21:27.His next goal is the Prisons Cross Country Championships in Kenya followed by their national trials with a place up for grabs at the African Cross Country Championships.Feidhlim Kelly for the IAAF

Kenya’s Alice Aprot and Bahrain’s Aweke Ayalew triumphed at the Antrim International Cross Country in competitive races at the IAAF Cross Country Permit meeting on Sunday (16).