Ethiopian runners Mestawet Tufa and Gelete Burka romped to 10000m and 1500m titles in the final two days of action at the 9th All-African Games in Algiers, Algeria. Ethiopia’s other gold medal hopeful Tariku Bekele was defeat to Ugandan Moses Kipsiro in the men’s 5000m. On Saturday, national 10000m champion Mestawet Tufa extended the country’s medal count to 11 with a run-away victory ahead of 40-year old Kenyan Edith in the women’s 10000m. Tufa, the fastest woman over the distance this year with 31:00.48 in the Netherlands, clocked 31:26.25, five seconds ahead of Masai with another Kenyan Irene Kwambai third. Ashu Kasim and Teyiba Erkesso, the other two Ethiopians in the race, finished fourth and fifth respectively.
On Sunday, Gelete Burka went largely unchallenged in the women’s 1500m, clocking 4:06.89 to take victory ahead of Kenyan Veronica Nyaruai and Namibian Agnes Samaria. Fellow Ethiopian Meskerem Assefa finished fourth. But world junior 5000m champion and pre-race favorite Tariku Bekele did not have it his way in the men’s 5000m final. The 20-year old looked comfortable going into the penultimate final lap of the race, but was outrun, first by Uganda’s African 10000m champion Moses Kipsiro and then by Kenyan Menjo Kiprono to settle for bronze. Fellow Ethiopians Abraham Cherkose and Ali Abdosh followed him across the line in fourth and fifth. In the other races involving Ethiopians in the final two days, Derese Mekonnen was fourth in the men’s 1500m. Cherenet Makore finished fifth in the men’s 20km walk. Following five days of action-packed drama in the Algerian capital, Ethiopia finish fifth in the medals’ table for the athletics with a total of 13 medals, out of which four were gold. (Source: GER)
On Sunday, Gelete Burka went largely unchallenged in the women’s 1500m, clocking 4:06.89 to take victory ahead of Kenyan Veronica Nyaruai and Namibian Agnes Samaria. Fellow Ethiopian Meskerem Assefa finished fourth. But world junior 5000m champion and pre-race favorite Tariku Bekele did not have it his way in the men’s 5000m final. The 20-year old looked comfortable going into the penultimate final lap of the race, but was outrun, first by Uganda’s African 10000m champion Moses Kipsiro and then by Kenyan Menjo Kiprono to settle for bronze. Fellow Ethiopians Abraham Cherkose and Ali Abdosh followed him across the line in fourth and fifth. In the other races involving Ethiopians in the final two days, Derese Mekonnen was fourth in the men’s 1500m. Cherenet Makore finished fifth in the men’s 20km walk. Following five days of action-packed drama in the Algerian capital, Ethiopia finish fifth in the medals’ table for the athletics with a total of 13 medals, out of which four were gold. (Source: GER)
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