Kipsiele wins in Belgian indoor meet

By Feverpitch Reporter and Agencies

In-form Paul Kipsiele Koech sustained his stellar closed-circuit season with an astonishing 5:17.04 victory in the rarely contested men’s 2,000m steeplechase at the Toyota Indoor Flanders meet in Belgium.

Kipsiele ran away from runner-up Russia’s Andrey Farnosov (5:21.56) and compatriot Collins Kosgei (5:25.22) to win.

The Athens 2004 Olympic steeplechase bronze winner and fourth finisher at Berlin World Championships last year also holds the indoor 5,000m (13:02.95) world lead and looks a good bet for the Kenyan team for the Doha closed circuit global event.

Africa 1,500m champion, Haron Keitany, made a winning return to international competition when he clocked 3:35.59 to upstage South Africa’s continental bronze medallist, Juan Van Deventer (3:36.96).

World Indoor 1,500m silver winner, Daniel Kipchirchir Komen (3:37.19) was third in the race where Ismael Kombich was one of the rabbits.

Keitany saw his chance to add the global title curtailed by a tendon injury last August in Berlin a day before he was to feature in the 1,500m final.

Vincent Rono (7:46.60) was in imperious form in the men’s 3,000m, charging away from Qatari runner Rashid Ismail Essa (born Daniel Kipkosgei) who was a distant second in 7:49.14.

Irene Jelagat finished fourth in the women’s 1,500m won by Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba (4:08.80). Jelagat, a member of the women’s 1,500m team for Berlin clocked 4:13.91. Athletics Kenya is expected to name the country’s team for the March12 to 14 World Indoor Championships in Doha this week.

Meanwhile, Kenyans dominated Japan’s selection event for the March 28 Bydgoszcz World Cross where Bedan Kariuki won the men’s 12km race while Martin Mathathi took the men’s 4km event during the 45th running of Chiba International Cross Country.

Karoki, a Sera High School student, won in 34:52.30 ahead of countryman Martin Mukule (35:22/Toyota Motors) with Charles Nyandarua (35:23), a school mate of the winner sealing the podium sweep.

Suzuki Motors runner, Mathathi, the 2007 Worlds bronze medallist at 10,000m, completely dominated the men’s 4Km winning in 11:14.28.