Triumphant Kenyan team to the just concluded Africa junior athletics championships in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso is expected to return home early Wednesday, athletic official said Tuesday.
Athletics Kenya (AK) Public Relations Officer Peter Angwenyi said on Tuesday that junior athletes to the 8th Africa championship clinched 13 gold medals, 5 silvers and 3 bronze medals to reclaim the overall title in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
"We expect the junior athletes early tomorrow and we are all proud of them. They did the country proud," Angwenyi said by telephone.
Defending champions South Africa were runners-up followed by Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Zimbabwe, Burkina Faso and Mali in that order.
The final day of the Africa junior athletics championship saw Kenya make another clean sweep of the podium in the girl's 3,000 meters steeplechase where Jackline Chebii led Emmy Chepkirui to a 1-2 finish.
David Rudisha continued with his winning spree in the boy's 800 meters where he won gold, as Leonard Kibet walk away with silver.
"I competed here because it is important to grace the African Junior Championships even when you are a world champion," Rudisha reportedly said.
"We must identify with our roots and give the youngsters motivation to pick up the sport. That is how I came to be an athlete."
He is the son of Kenyan legend Daniel Rudisha, a former national 400m record holder and a member of the 4x400m Relay team that struck gold at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.
Mathew Kisorio collected his second gold medal in the boy's 5,000 meters while Philip Kosgei settled for the silver.
The Kenya relay team also bagged a double in the 4 by 400 meters relay for both men and women.
David Okeyo, the Athletics Kenya secretary general, said this was the team to watch in future.
"We need to nurture them for the Olympics," he noted.
The Seychelles will host the next Africa Junior Championships in 2009.
Source: Xinhua
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