Samuel Kibet wins in Chiang Mai (© Marco Gulberti/Corsa in Montagna)
Ugandan athletes capped a successful week of racing at the inaugural World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Chiang Mai, Thailand, as Samuel Kibet, Rebecca Cheptegei and Leonard Chemutai won three of the four titles on offer on Sunday (6), the final day of competition.
Kibet and Cheptegei won the senior men’s and women’s up and down mountain races respectively, both held over 11.2km with 475m ascent. Chemutai, meanwhile, took the junior men’s up and down title and Jessica Bailey led a British 1-2 in the junior women’s race, both competing over a 6.4km course with 224m ascent.
Uganda set out their stall early in the senior men’s race as Kibet formed part of a small lead group alongside compatriots Timothy Toroitich, Leonard Chemonges and Eliud Cherop, with Mexico’s Everado Moreno also trying his best to stick with them. The rest of the field was some 30 metres behind, with Friday's uphill gold and silver medallists Patrick Kipngeno and Philemon Kiriago of Kenya leading the chase.
Eight kilometres later, Kibet emerged first from the trees, holding a 19-second advantage over Toroitich and Kipngeno who were locked together in second and third. Kipngeno eventually managed to pull away from Toroitich and narrow the gap to the leader, but it wasn't enough.
Kibet swept across the line to take the title, the sixth for a Ugandan senior man in the past eight World Championships. Kipngeno was 10 seconds behind, becoming the first double medallist at the new expanded championship format. Toroitich held on for bronze ahead of teammates Chemonges and Cherop in fourth and fifth. Spain's Andreu Blanes followed four seconds later, placing sixth.
With four athletes in the top five, Uganda was a clear winner of the team competition. Spain took silver with Italy just a single point behind, both teams placing three athletes inside the top 15.
The Ugandan dominance continued in the final race of the championships as Rispa Cherop, Rebecca Cheptegei and Annet Chelangat pushed the pace from the start with only Saturday's uphill world champion Allie McLaughlin of the USA able to hang on.
As was the case with the senior and junior men’s races, it soon became a question of which of the Ugandan athletes would take the title. Cheptegei, still looking remarkably smooth, flew into the race's final kilometre with a 20-second gap over her teammate Chelangat and was jubilant as she tore across the finish line, flag in hand, to become the second Ugandan woman to win a mountain running world title.
Chelangat was no less ecstatic in second and the pair had time to pose for the cameras before McLaughlin came in to take bronze, the second medal in a remarkable weekend for the US runner.
Romania's Monica Florea, both knees bleeding, came in fourth, just as she did in Friday's uphill race, confirming herself as one of the most consistent performers in mountain running, as did Britain’s Scout Adkin, who finished a minute further back in fifth.
With Cherop – one of the pre-race favourites – unable to finish, it meant Uganda didn’t have enough finishers to contend for the team title, opening the door for another country. Switzerland, with three finishers in the top 15, stepped up to take the team title, adding to the two sets of team medals they earned in the uphill race on Friday. Britain took team silver, while USA capped a strong championships with bronze.
Just as they did with the senior races on Sunday, Uganda dominated the junior men's event, filling the top four places to sweep the individual medals and earn team gold. Leonard Chemutai was a dominant winner ahead of teammates Caleb Tungwet, Denis Kiplangat and Silas Rotich.
Britain’s Finlay Grant was fifth individually but helped his country to secure team bronze, while France took team silver.
The junior women’s up and down mountain race was the only event on Sunday not won by Ugandan athletes. Jessica Bailey led a British 1-2 from teammate Rebecca Flaherty, also picking up gold in the team standings.
Italy's Axelle Vicari was third individually and a comfortable second in the team contest ahead of France.
Next year the championship heads to Europe and the spectacular trails of the Austrian Alps when the 2023 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships will take place in Innsbruck-Stubai, Tyrol from 6-10 June.
WMRA for World Athletics
