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Kenyan runners struggled to make an impact at the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Lievin, France on Saturday with only three making the podium
World 3,000m steeplechase record holder Beatrice Chepkoech and world U20 champion Vincent Keter saved Kenya the blushes by recording podium finishes at the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Lievin, France on Saturday night.
Chepkoech managed third place in the 3,000m while Keter finished second in the 1,500m in an event that Kenyan runners struggled in.
The 3,000m was won by Ethiopian Gudaf Tsegay who followed the pacemakers through the first kilometres, covering it in 2:44.49, but the pace during those opening laps was at times a bit erratic. After passing through half-way in 4:07.74, Tsegay took up the running a few laps later, once the pacemakers dropped out.
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By the time she reached 2,000m in 5:29.38 – inside world record pace – she had a seven-second lead over Chepkoech.
But after having to move into lane two to pass lapped runners, Tsegay’s final kilometre ended up being her slowest of the race and she crossed the line in 8:17.11, the third-fastest indoor clocking in history and just half a second shy of the world indoor record (8:16.60).
Hirut Meshesha passed Chepkoech with three laps to go and took second place in 8:29.71 and Chepkoech finished third in a PB of 8:30.87.
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Meanwhile, in the men’s 1,500m, Azeddine Habz claimed victory in a French indoor record of 3:34.39, finishing just 0.05 ahead of Keter.
Kenya’s Alex Kipngetich also managed a second place finish, this time in the men’s 800m, after clocking 1:47.21 behind Algeria’s Mohamed Gouaned who won the race in 1:45.35.
Additional information from World Athletics
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