Kipsiro 10th As Uganda is Outclassed On Home Soil

Star runners Daniel Rotich (third left finished 12th) and Moses Kipsiro (in red and black finished 10th ) for Team Uganda at Sunday’s Africa Cross-country. photo BY ISMAIL KEZAALA

Forget about home ground advantage here. As soon as the Team Uganda captain Moses Ndiema Kipsiro showed how woeful he was at cross-country, it spread through the whole team.

It never fails to bring a tear to the eye. Kipsiro was Uganda’s biggest medal prospect maybe according to coach Gordon Ahimbisibwe at Sunday’s 2014 Africa Cross-country and he finished a dismissal 10th as Kenyans carried the day.

Kipsiro a double Commonwealth Games champion was reported injured during the race and could only be bettered by Moses Kibet who finished 6th in the 12km Senior men’s race that was won by World cross-country silver medalist Leonard Barsoton of Kenya at the Kololo Ceremonial grounds.

No wonder a mediocre home performance from Kibet earned him the Ugandan flag at the finish line. He went on to claim that Kololo was flat and unfamiliar to Uganda’s undoing: “That course was so flat. That’s why we totally failed to match the Kenyan’s pace. Had the course been hilly, i believe we would have done better. We did alot of hill work in training but it didn’t help here,” Kibet said.

Kibet is a junior bronze medallist at the 2009 World Cross-country Championships and competed at two World Athletics Championships (2009 and 2011) before vanishing off the scene.

Kibet races at the 2011 World Athletics Championships in South Korea. He finished 6th at Kololo.

Kenya took all the gold medals and only Ethiopia’s Alemitu broke their dominance in the Junior women race, when she came second.

Faith Chepng’etich Kipyegon, who was also making her debut as a senior in cross country, also easily won as Ethiopia’s Alemu Bekele emerged fifth.

Uganda finished with a team bronze medal as Kenya collected ten individual medals four gold, three silver and three bronze).

Senior Men results
1 Leonard Barsoton KEN 34:26.12
2 Kipruto Kangogo KEN 34:56.45
3 Rono Cherop KEN 35:01.88
4 Kirwa Yego KEN 35:14.88
5 Kiprono Lagat KEN 35:20.37

Senior women results
1 Faith Kipyegon KEN 25:33.02
2 Janet Kisa KEN 25:41.30
3 Alice Nawowuna KEN 25:46.48
4 Edith Chelimo KEN 26:02.48
5 Alemu Bekele ETH 26:10.84

Junior men
1 Moses Letoyie KEN 22:36.80
2 Andrew Lorot KEN 22:50.19
3 Berhane Afewerki ERI 22:56.45
4 Langat Kiprono KEN 22:58.70
5 Langat Kipkemoi KEN 23:01.97

Junior women
1 Jebet Tirop KEN 18:50.74
2 Alemitu Heroye ETH 19:04.73
3 Nancy Nzisa KEN 19:16.18
4 Rosefline Chepngetich KEN 19:39.71
5 Kasait rengeruk KEN 19:50.74