This archive report was first published on 22 September 2019.
On a challenging day in Mombasa, Kenyan athletes Mathew Kimeli and Delvine Meringor emerged victorious in the inaugural Safaricom Mombasa 10km road race on Sunday, September 22, 2019.
Kimeli, representing Iten Adidas Club, clocked 31 minutes, 27.23 seconds to win the men's race and take home the top prize of Sh100,000. He had previously won the Health Kidney 10Km Race in New York in May and finished second in the Praque 10Km run in Czech.
"When one of my shoes came off at the 4km mark, 14 athletes passed me, but I managed to quickly put it on and recover," Kimeli said, adding that he is eyeing the Ntalatgaa Cross Country in Nandi County on October 10.
Meringor, from Kaptagat in West Pokot County, dominated the women's race, winning in an impressive 36 minutes, 10.45 seconds and equally taking home Sh100,000. She had previously finished seventh during the Houston Half Marathon in January.
"I was about to collapse due to the humid conditions, but I decided to reduce my speed after realizing my opponent was far away. I'm lucky my opponent did not realize what was happening to me," Meringor said, who was using the race to prepare for the upcoming Madoka Half Marathon on October 5 where she is the defending champion.
