Rwandan athlete fails to finish as Kenyans dominate

World athletics championship

Marathon, yesterday

1. Kiplagat Ngeringwony (KEN) 2:28:43 
2. Priscah Jeptoo (KEN) 2:29:00 
3. Sharon Jemutai Cherop (KEN) 2:29:14 

Epiphanie Nyirabarame will have to wait a little longer to find out whether she will be on the plane to London for the Olympic Games.

Rwanda’s two-time Olympian failed to finish the 42,195 Km women marathon race at the World Championships yesterday in Daegu, South Korea.

Kenya’s Edna Ngeringwony Kiplagat of Kenya won the women's marathon for the first gold medal at the ongoing World Championships in Athletics in two hours, 28 minutes and 43 seconds.

Fellow Kenyans Priscah Jeptoo and Sharon Jemutai Cherop finished second clocking 2:29:00 and third in 2:29:14, respectively, to complete the Kenyan sweep in the 42.195-kilometer (26.2-mile) race.

Kenya is the first country to sweep marathon medals, men's or women's, at the world championships.

Nyirabarame who was expected to use the world athletics championship as a platform to seek the minimum qualifications to enable her compete at London Games never lived up to her dream of doing so as she injury her left leg after 21.095km.

Doubtful for Maputo Games

According to her coach Emmanuel Murenzi, the APR athletics club athlete stumbled and fell, grimacing in pain.

According to medics in Daegu, the veteran long distance runner could be out of action for about ten days pending further assessment of her injury, which puts her chances of competing at next month’s All Africa Games in Maputo.

With Nyirabarame out of the picture, Rwanda’s hopes remain on Sylvain Rukundo, who competes tonight in the 10000m final before winding up with 5000m Thursday night.

Kenya also recorded another milestone by with the women’s team winning the women’s marathon World Cup for the first ever time as Ethiopia and China took silver and bronze.

Ends