Kenya is making efforts to claim six gold medals in the ongoing ninth All-Africa Games in Algiers, capital of the North African country Algeria, a sports official told Xinhua on Wednesday.
Willy Komen from Kenya brought the first athletic gold medal to the East African country on Wednesday in the men's 3,000m steeplechase. Ezekiel Kemboi, the 2004 Athens Olympic champion in this discipline, finished second with a time of 8 minutes 16. 93 seconds, 1.82 seconds slower than his compatriot Komen.
The bronze went to Ethiopia's Nahom Mesfin. Kenya's Elijah Chelimo was fourth to reach the finish line.
Kenyan Sports Commissioner Gordon Oluoch was very excited to watch the heated competition between Kenyans and Ethiopians. "The result just showed Kenya's supremacy in this category, and we respect the good performance of Ethiopian runners," Oluoch said in an interview.
He forecast Kenya will bag perhaps six gold medals in the All-African Games, from the disciplines ranging from 800m to half marathon.
It was the first time for Komen and Chelimo to participate in the contests for the senior. Last summer, they had taken part in the Beijing IAAF World Junior Championships, Oluoch added.
Source: Xinhua
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