Uneven terrain, a 50-metre-long water and mud section, tough competition and a new winner in the men&rsquo;s race all characterised the Kenyan Cross Country Championships in Nairobi on Saturday (13).
Rodgers Kwemoi and defending women&rsquo;s champion Sheila Chelangat fed off stiff competition and cold conditions to win the senior titles on a course that was made more challenging following a heavy downpour on Friday night. The two races were both tactical but played out in different ways.
The women&rsquo;s race was compact through the first two-kilometre lap. Chelangat took on the race in her typical style &ndash; running from the front, only to slow down at the water section. Chelangat forced the pace until a lead pack of just five women had broken away from the rest of the pack at about 6km.
With four kilometres to go, Daisy Cherotich took the lead and Chelangat dropped back to third place. Chelangat, a world U18 bronze medallist in 2015, took command again before the bell and opened up a 50-metre gap on her way to retaining her national title in 34:56. An exhausted Chelangat collapsed to the ground soon after and briefly needed medical attention.
In the battle for second place, Cherotich held off world marathon champion Ruth Chepngetich, 35:00 to 35:03.
&ldquo;I developed a headache and a minor stomach ache, and by the time I finished the race I was so tired,&rdquo; said Chelangat. &ldquo;The National Cross Country is hard in Kenya; almost everyone is in good shape, everyone is training hard. It was a tough competition, the race today was hard, but I worked hard for this win.
&ldquo;There were so many obstacles, I struggled through the water and mud,&rdquo; she added. &ldquo;They were tough, but I managed to regain my speed on the rest of the course. I&rsquo;m glad I have made the team for the African Cross County Championships.
&ldquo;I had prepared well, knowing very well that, due to coronavirus, athletes haven&rsquo;t competed much, therefore I came expecting very tough competition. Everyone wanted to test their shape.&rdquo;
Chelangat was among the athletes who would have competed at the cancelled RAK Half Marathon on Friday, but she will now turn her attention to the African Cross Country Championships.
The men&rsquo;s race played out differently with 5000m specialist Michael Kibet taking on the lead half way through the first lap. He opened a 30-metre gap, stringing along a pack that included world half marathon record-holder Kibiwott Kandie, two-time world cross-country champion Geoffrey Kamworor and 2019 Kenyan 5000m champion Daniel Simiu.
Kibet eventually tired and Kandie closed the gap, hitting the front about half way into the race. He continued to lead until just after the bell. All the while, Japan-based Kwemoi had been working his way through the field, going from 15th to seventh and then to third with two kilometres to go. Sensing fatigue in Kandie, Kwemoi unleashed his kick with about half a lap left and opened up a gap on the long-time leader. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/602845562962cd8df61d4e6f.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" /> Rodgers Kwemoi after winning the Kenyan Cross Country Championships (&copy; Michelle Katami)
&nbsp;
Kandie closed in on Kwemoi down the homestretch, but Kwemoi held on to cut the tape in 31:04, finishing two seconds ahead of Kandie. Bett completed the podium in third in 31:11. Kamworor and Bedan Karoki dropped out of the race after two laps.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m really happy to win the senior men&rsquo;s race,&rdquo; said Kwemoi, the 2016 world U20 10,000m champion and fourth-place finisher at the 2019 World Championships. &ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t expecting to win but after the second lap (4km) I felt like I could win. I realised some of the athletes in front of me, including Kamworor and Kandie, were getting tired.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m usually a front runner but this time I opted to sit back so that I could reserve my energy. And now I am 100% sure I can win the gold medal in Lome (at the African Cross Country Championships).&rdquo;
The U20 men&rsquo;s 8km and U20 women&rsquo;s 6km races were won by Gideon Rono (24:44) and Purity Chepkurui (20:51) respectively. In the mixed relay, Hellen Obiri anchored her Kenya Defence Forces team to victory.
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Men (10km) 1 Rodgers Kwemoi 31:04 2 Kibiwott Kandie 31:06 3 Edwin Bett 31:11 4 Nicholas Kimeli 31:13 5 Phenus Kipleting 31:15
Women (10km) 1 Sheila Chelangat 34:56 2 Daisy Cherotich 35:00 3 Ruth Chepgnetich 35:03 4 Agnes Kibet 35:08 5 Everlyne Chirchir 35:10

Uneven terrain, a 50-metre-long water and mud section, tough competition and a new winner in the men’s race all characterised the Kenyan Cross Country Championships in Nairobi on Saturday (13).

Kwemoi and Chelangat crowned Kenyan cross-country champions

Konrad Bukowiecki lived up to his role as championships poster boy flawlessly, breaking the world U20 record in the shot put* to highlight the opening day of the IAAF World U20 Championships Bydgoszcz 2016 on Tuesday (19).
As the defending champion and already a rising star in the senior ranks, Bukowiecki was the heavy favourite, and seemingly thrived from the pressure. Opening with a 22.46m toss, Bukowiecki fouled on his second throw before unleashing a massive 23.34m bomb to better the previous U20 record with the 6kg shot of 23.00m set by New Zealander Jacko Gill in 2013.
"I can't believe I just cried, I don't know what just happened," said Bukowiecki, whose previous best with the U20 implement was 22.94m.
In a quality competition, the first seven finishers all achieved personal bests. Romania's Andrei Toader came closest to the Polish strongman, reaching 22.30m to finish second. Bronson Osborn of the US threw 21.27m to take the bronze.
<h3>Kwemoi retakes 10,000m spoils for Kenya</h3>
Bukowiecki&rsquo;s heroics came in the second of day one&rsquo;s three finals at Zawisza Stadium. The other two also featured familiar colours topping the podium.
In the evening-capping men&rsquo;s 10,000m, Rodgers Chumo Kwemoi kicked away from Eritrean Aron Kifle over the final 200 metres to take a 27:25.23 victory and become the eighth Kenyan man to take the title.
"I came here expecting to win," said the 19-year-old, whose performance was a championship record and the first Kenyan victory since 2010. "I took the race out fast. Once we were on the last lap, I knew I would take it."
Kifle, who helped push the pace from the outset, held on for silver in 27:26.20, a national U20 record and the first medal for Eritrea in the event.&nbsp; Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda, just 15, was third, clocking 27:26.68, a personal best.
<h3>Ma adds to her riches with 10,000 race walk title</h3>
Earlier in the evening, China's Ma Zhenxia cruised to the 10,000m race walk title to become the first gold medallist at these championships.
The 17-year-old clocked 45:18.45, a world U20 lead, to finish more than five seconds clear of Noemi Stella of Italy, who reached the line in 45:23.85. It was the fourth major title for Ma, who won the 2014 Youth Olympic Games and 2015 world U18 titles in the 5000m race walk and gold at the IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships in Rome in May where she triumphed in history's closest race walk championship competition.
Biding her time shadowing the leaders by just a step or two through most of the race, Ma didn't pull away from the Italian until the waning stages of the final kilometre.
Stella, 19, clocked 45:23.85 to take silver, a season's best and Italy's first medal in the event since the distance increased to 10,000m in 1998.
Yehualeye Beletew of Ethiopia took bronze in 45:33.69, an African U20 record. The 17-year-old's next competition will be in Rio next month.
<h3>Andraloits the overnight leader in the decathlon</h3>
Maksim Andraloits of Belarus tallied 4205 points to take the overnight lead in the decathlon.
Powered by a 10.97 in the 100m, a 7.20m leap in the long jump and a 49.33 clocking in the 400m, Andraloits built a 117-point cushion over Johannes Erm of Estonia, who tallied 4088. Rik Taam of the Netherlands sits in third with 4062, just ahead of Cale Wagner (4031) of the US and Jan Ruhrmann (4018) of Germany.
But world U18 champion Niklas Kaul is still the favourite to take the overall title. The German is currently in sixth place and has a strong second day.
<h3>Qualifying action</h3>
In the evening's first-round action, Tiffany James of Jamaica and Maureen Nyathichi Thomas of Kenya led the qualifiers in the 400m at 52.98 and 53.04 respectively. Germany's Julia Ritter led the women's discus qualifying with 53.84m.
The day two programme includes finals in the men's 100m, the long jump and conclusion of the decathlon. On the women's side, champions will be crowned in the 3000m, shot put and javelin.
Bob Ramsak for the IAAF
*Subject to the usual ratification procedures

Bukowiecki's U20 world record caps opening day in Bydgoszcz

Bukowiecki's world U20 record caps opening day in Bydgoszcz

Konrad Bukowiecki lived up to his role as championships poster boy flawlessly, breaking the world U20 record in the shot put* to highlight the opening day of the IAAF World U20 Championships Bydgoszcz 2016 on Tuesday (19).

From the outset, Kenya&rsquo;s Rodgers Chumo Kwemoi stamped his authority on this race, charging to the front and pulling the field through the opening kilometre in 2:52.67.
Though the lead changed several times over the course of the next nine kilometres, in the end it finished just as it began, with Chumo leading the field a merry dance, unleashing a 57-second last lap to take the title in a championship record of 27:25.23.
Eritrea&rsquo;s Aron Kifle was forced to settle for silver in 27:26.20 after making several mid-race surges, while Uganda&rsquo;s Jacob Kiplimo took the bronze in 27:26.68. &nbsp;
On a mild, breezy evening in Bydgoszcz, the 31 athletes set off at a swift early pace, but it was not quite fast enough to split the group&nbsp;to any great extent. Chumo led through 2000m in 5:40.29, alternating the lead several times with teammate Ronald Kiprotich Kirui.
Approaching the 3000m mark, reached in 8:24.63, Kifle surged to the front and began to take a group of eight athletes clear with a 2:44 kilometre.
However, Chumo soon responded in kind, surging back to the front and running a 2:39.33 kilometre to take a group of four clear.
Halfway was reached in 13:48.18, but with the pace cranking up all the time, it was clear that the championship record of 27:30.85, run in the same stadium by Josphat Bett Kipkoech back in 2008, was about to come under threat.
Kifle and Chumo traded blows at the front over the kilometres that followed, trading steady laps of 68 seconds with laps as quick as 63. As they reached 8000m in 22:03.45, Chumo held the lead ahead of Kifle, with Uganda&rsquo;s Jacob Kiplimo looming as an ominous threat in their slipstream.
With just under five laps to run, Kiplimo surged to the lead for the first time, but his move did nothing to hurt Chumo or Kifle, the Kenyan soon surging back to the front.
With 400m to run, Chumo still held the lead and took several glances behind him as he moved through the gears on the back straight in an effort to drop the two&nbsp;athletes&nbsp;behind. The first to crack was Kiplimo, who could offer nothing more&nbsp;on the final turn, leaving Kifle as the only one who could stop Kenya taking this title for the eighth time in the history of the championships and the first time since 2010.
Kifle surged up to Chumo&rsquo;s shoulder on the final turn, but the moment he did Chumo found an extra gear and moved&nbsp;clear to take the title in 27:25.23.
&ldquo;I came here expecting to win,&rdquo; said Chumo. &ldquo;I took the race out fast because I felt that would give me the best chance. Once we were on the last lap, I knew I would take it.&rdquo;
Kifle set an Eritrean U20 record of 27:26.20 in second, while Kiplimo had a PB of 27:26.68 to console himself with after finishing third. Ethiopia&rsquo;s Amedework Walelegn ran a PB of 28:00.14 to finish fourth ahead of countryman Gizachew Hailu, who also set a lifetime best in fifth with 28:09.57.
Ronald Kiprotich Kirui faded out of contention&nbsp;in the final kilometres and&nbsp;finished sixth in 28:13.43.
Cathal Dennehy for the IAAF

From the outset, Kenya’s Rodgers Chumo Kwemoi stamped his authority on this race, charging to the front and pulling the field through the opening kilometre in 2:52.67.

Report: men's 10,000m – IAAF World U20 Championships Bydgoszcz 2016

Some of the world&rsquo;s top young distance-running talents were in action at the two-day Kenyan Junior Championships, which concluded in Nairobi on Wednesday (22).
Running in cold conditions and heavy rain, Rodgers Chumo defeated a strong field of more than 30 athletes to win the men&rsquo;s 10,000m.
After a conservative start to the race with half way reached in 14:39.33, Japan-based Chumo, who finished 10th in the junior race at the IAAF World Cross Country Championship Guiyang 2015, decided to push the pace.
By 8000m, reached in 22:58.10, just three athletes remained in contention, but with one lap left it was clear that Chumo was destined for victory. After celebrating down the home stretch, the 19-year-old clocked 28:26.76 for the win, some 44 seconds shy of the PB he set last year.
African junior cross-country silver medallist Ronald Kiprotich overtook Mathew Kimeli in the last 300m to book his ticket for Poland, running 28:28.11 to Kimeli&rsquo;s 28:30.76.
<h3>World youth champions shine</h3>
Three of Kenya&rsquo;s world youth champions were victorious in Nairobi, putting them one step closer towards winning another global age-group title.
With many strong names in the men&rsquo;s 1500m, the race played out to be a tactical affair. After the first 1000m was covered in 2:28.2, Edwin Kiptoo and Anthony Kiptoo increased the pace. World youth champion Kumari Taki tried to close the gap, but with 300m to go it looked like his two opponents would clinch the spots for Poland.
But Taki&rsquo;s swift closing speed moved him up from third to first during the last 50 meters of the race, crossing the line in 3:38.8. Edwin Kiptoo ended up second in 3:39.0 while early leader Anthony Kiptoo faded to third in 3:39.5.
The final of the men&rsquo;s 800m was a carbon copy of the morning semifinals with world youth silver medallist Kipyegon Bett front-running his way to a 1:44.4 victory.
Passing 600m in 1:17.5, Bett never looked back and won convincingly over world youth champion Willy Tarbei (1:45.2).
Both of Kenya&rsquo;s world youth steeplechase champions won their specialist events in Nairobi.
Vincent Kipyegon and Amos Kirui put on a show in the men&rsquo;s race. With a 60-second first lap and a 2:43.1 opening kilometre, they slowly broke up the field and built up a clear margin with more than three laps to go.
Kipyegon and Kirui exchanged the lead until the last 300m when Kipyegon decided to make his move and went away for the victory. Kipyegon clocked 8:22.7, barely missing the world U20 leading mark, while Kirui settled for second in 8:27.4. Philemon Ruto was third in 8:35.5.
Cellphine Chespol took a gun-to-tape victory in the women&rsquo;s event, winning comfortably in 9:46.0. Her closest opponent, Betty Chepkemoi, was second in 10:03.2.
Elsewhere, steeplechase specialist Sandrafelis Chebet won the women&rsquo;s 3000m flat in 9:02.0, comfortably beating world youth bronze medallist Sheila Chelangat by more than nine seconds.
Wesley Ladema won the 5000m in a solo 13:34.2. Youth Olympic bronze medallist Moses Koech got the second spot in 13:38.4 with Nicholas Kimeli finishing third in 13:44.4.
The women&rsquo;s equivalent was won by Emmaculate Chepkirui in 15:42.4 over newcomer Catherine Syokau (15:44.0) who just egded Evaline Chelangat (15:44.2) on the line. Pre-race favourite Emily Chebet Kipchumba finished sixth in 16:33.4.
Youth Olympic silver medallist Winfred Mbithe won the women&rsquo;s 1500m in 4:18.25, edging out a fast-finishing Joyline Cherotich (4:19.49) and African junior cross-country champion Miriam Cherop (4:21.21).
Betty Sigei Chepkemoi and Josphine Chelangat battled it out in the women&rsquo;s 800m with Chepkemoi clocking 2:04.8 to finish 0.2 in front of Chelangat.
Kip Evans for the IAAF
<h3>Leading results</h3>
MEN
800m 1 Kipyegon Bett 1:44.4 2 Willy Tarbei 1:45.2 3 Wycliffe Kinyamal 1:46.8
1500m 1 Kumari Taki 3:38.8 2 Edwin Kiptoo 3:39.0 3 Anthony Kiptoo 3:39.5
5000m 1 Wesley Ladema 13:34.2 2 Moses Koech 13:38.4 3 Nicholas Kimeli 13:44.4
10,000m 1 Rodgers Chumo 28:26.76 2 Ronald Kiprotich 28:28.11 3 Mathew Kimeli 28:30.76
3000m steeplechase 1 Vincent Kipyegon 8:22.7 2 Amos Kirui 8:27.4 3 Philemon Ruto 8:35.5
 WOMEN
800m 1 Betty Sigei Chepkemoi 2:04.8 2 Josphine Chelangat 2:05.0 3 Lilian Odira 2:07.8
1500m 1 Winfred Mbithe 4:18.25 2 Joyline Cherotich 4:19.49 3 Miriam Cherop 4:21.21
3000m 1 Sandrafelis Chebet 9:02.0 2 Sheila Chelangat 9:11.6 3 Betty Chepkemoi 9:23.1
5000m 1 Emmaculate Chepkirui 15:42.4 2 Catherine Syokau 15:44.0 3 Evaline Chelangat 15:44.2
3000m steeplechase 1 Cellphine Chespol 9:46.0 2 Betty Chepkemoi 10:03.2 3 Emily Chebet Kipchumba 10:10.6

Some of the world’s top young distance-running talents were in action at the two-day Kenyan Junior Championships, which concluded in Nairobi on Wednesday (22).

Kwemoi and Chelangat crowned Kenyan cross-country champions

Bukowiecki's world U20 record caps opening day in Bydgoszcz

Report: men's 10,000m – IAAF World U20 Championships Bydgoszcz 2016

Bydgoszcz berths booked at Kenyan Junior Championships