THE STANDARD
With only a week to go before the Berlin Trials, Friday night’s Avica Paris Golden Meeting was devoid of many top Kenyan stars that are readying for Saturday’s showdown at Nyayo Stadium.
The fourth leg of IAAF $1m (Sh76m) Golden League jackpot, however, saw French Olympics silver medallist, Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad, serve warning to the country’s 3,000m steeplechase stars by beating Athens champion Ezekiel Kemboi.
Running in front of a vociferous home crowd, Mekhissi-Benabbad, who won the second medal in Beijing behind world champion, Brimin Kipruto, clinched victory in 8:13.23.
Kemboi trooped home second with the clock reading 8:15.27, but the manner the Frenchman celebrated his first triumph over a top Kenyan is sure to give the country’s star steeplechasers some food for thought ahead of Berlin.
Food for thought
After Algerian born Mekhissi-Benabbad tore away from Kemboi after the final water jump, he ripped the running bib off his chest and blew kisses to the crowd with 50m to go in a frenzied sequence of celebration to toast his memorable triumph over the steeplechase master. With Kipruto, Africa champion, Richard Mateelong, four-time World Athletics Final winner, Paul Kipsiele as well as Kemboi who has the fastest time of the year likely to compete in Berlin, Mekhissi-Benabbad has his hands full on his solo mission to challenge Kenya’s steeplechase hegemony.
Olympics champion, Kipruto has wildcard entry as the defending World Championships titleholder and three other steeplechasers could be selected on Saturday.
Worryingly for Kenya, there is an apparent lack of a new generation of runners to take over the mantle from elite steeplechasers, who bar Kipruto (25), are inching closer to their career twilight.
In Paris for instance, young hopefuls Abel Mutai (8:16.42), Wesley Kiprotich 8:16.44 and Collins Kosgei (8:19.81) trailed in fourth, fifth and eighth.
Elsewhere, Ethiopia’s double Olympics champion Kenenisa Bekele delivered master class front running to humble Kenyan born Bernard Lagat in the 3,000m race to keep his jackpot dream alive with a fourth straight victory.
Leonard Komon (7:38.98) was the best placed Kenyan in the event in sixth. Yusuf Kibet Biwott (7:40.96, seventh), Daniel Lemashon (7:44.39, ninth), Vincent Yator (7:46.34, 11th) and Cornelius Ndiwa (7:52.94, 13th) also featured.
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