This archive report was first published on 28 August 2019.
At the ongoing African Games in Rabat, Morocco, Ethiopians made a strong statement in the men's 10,000m final, leaving Kenya without a podium finish.
Kenya's trio of Olympic Silver medalist Paul Tanui, Charles Yosei Mneria, and former Olympic bronze medalist Ewin Soi represented the country in the event.
However, Soi was the only Kenyan to complete the race, finishing fourth in 28:05.70. He expressed pride in his performance, given the challenging circumstances.
'I think I am proud of what I have done today because I was also fatigued going to the race as we just competed last week at the national championships back in Kenya and we have had a few days to recover without including the travelling,' Soi said.
Meanwhile, Tanui and Mneria dropped out of the race due to injuries. Tanui pulled out after seven laps, citing a pulled right leg muscle, while Mneria withdrew after 10 laps, revealing that he had contracted malaria four days prior to the event.
'I am unwell, I contracted malaria four days ago and I didn’t even want to compete, it was only my compatriots who urged me to come and try out but I could not sustain and that is why I had to drop out,' Mneria said.
Kenya's struggles extended to other events, with Maximila Imali finishing seventh in the women's 100m final and Isaac Kirwa and Wilfred Kimitei ranking ninth and 14th respectively in the men's 100m final.
Published on August 28, 2019, at 1:02 PM.
