This archive report was first published on 11 July 2019.
On Thursday, July 11, 2019, Margaret Chelimo, the African Games 5,000m champion, made history by winning the National Police Service 10,000m championship at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani.
Chelimo, who is also the Police Cross Country title holder, outpaced defending champion Stacy Ndiwa, the Commonwealth 10,000m silver medallist, to cut the tape in a time of 33 minutes and 03.81 seconds.
The battle was intense, with only three athletes remaining in contention with three laps to go. Chelimo took the lead at the bell and used her long strides to condemn Ndiwa to second place in 33:04.7, while Edith Chelimo came third in 33:07.34.
"I am actually surprised. I didn't expect to win with strong opponents like Ndiwa and Edith," said Margaret, who was using the race to gauge her endurance ahead of the World Championships trials slated for next month. "So far my good training is working. It feels great winning my first ever 10,000m race."
Chelimo will compete in 5,000m at the National Championships that will double up as the World Championships trials.
