This archive report was first published on 11 July 2019.
On Thursday, the National Police Service athletics championships kicked off at the Moi International Sports Centre in Kasarani, with Commonwealth Games 5000m silver medalist Margaret Chelimo emerging victorious in the 10,000m race.
Representing Eastern, Chelimo clocked 33:03.08, with Commonwealth Games 10,000m silver medalist Stacy Ndiwa of Kenya Police College coming in second in 33:04.01, and Edith Chelimo of Nairobi closing the podium in 33:07.38.
Edith Chelimo led for most of the race, but Chelimo pushed forward in the final lap, a tactic she had planned to execute.
‘I wanted to push forward with three laps to go, but I decided to be patient and wait for the last lap, which proved to be the right decision,’ Chelimo said after the race.
Chelimo, who is 26 years old, is eager to capture her first medal at the World Championships, having finished fifth in the 2017 competition held in London.
She plans to return to her specialty of 5000m at the national championships slated for next month, as she eyes a ticket to the World Championships.
Elsewhere, Gilbert Kwemoi clocked 3:45.59 to emerge top in the 1500m semi-finals, while Ernest Kimutai stormed to victory in the men’s 5000m, clocking 14:04.91.
The two-day competition ends tomorrow, with the Law Enforcers using the annual event to select a team for the national championships cum trials for the World Championships.
