Ethiopia’s gold medal drought was ended on Saturday as Olympic Champion in the 10,000m, Tirunesh Dibaba, won in her speciality on the penultimate day of the 17th Safaricom Senior Africa Athletics Championship.
The gold immediately sent the sizable crowd of the Ethiopians in the stands into a frenzy as they finally got their national anthem to be played.
Former Africa 5,000m champion Meselech Melkamu was second in for the silver while Kenya’s World Linet Masai took bronze.
Dibaba won in 31:51.39 with Melkamu second in 31:55.50 while Masai was timed at 31:59.36.
Wude Ayalew Yimer was fourth in 32:29.92 having held on bravely to finish ahead of Kenyan Doris Chengeiywo’s 32.44.07 while Pauline Karikwiang was sixth in 33:12.34.
Tanzania’s trio of Restituta Kemi 34:06.42 finished in the seventh to ninth slots.
It was Kemu who took the initiative to pull away from the crowd, but her move failed to trigger the others to follow as she opened a 60-metre gap for the first seven laps which was 10 seconds faster than the pack behind.
Both Linet Masai and Pauline Korikwiang were tagged behind as Ethiopian trio of Turunesh Dibaba, Meselech Melkamu and Wude Ayalew Yimer remained in front. It was, however, after the seventh lap that Dibaba’s started to eat up the gap with Kemu which left all the nine athletes in straight line.
Korikwinag, however, was used to keep in touch with the Ethiopians in the eighth lap as Yimer tried to pull away.
Masai and Dibaba stuck behind again.
The gap was now reduced and Kemu was passed in the ninth lap as Masai for the first time picked up pace and went in front.
This was, however, as the six athletes from Kenya and Ethiopia interchanged the lead.
It was then the turn on that Chengeiywo to lead with Masai just two metres behind.
At the end of the 10th lap Masai was leading timed at 9:37.14 as the Ethiopians tagged behind with the both Korikwiang and Chengeiywo behind.
It was Korikwiang who went in front in the as the six athletes remained in contention.
With 12 laps remaining, Chengeiywo was in front with Yimer second and as they crossed the finishing line, the timer was tat 18:34.
But both Korikwiang and Chengeiywo were dropped with 10 laps to go as Masai was left to battle alone for the medals against the three Ethiopians.
Masai passed the 16th lap with the time reading 20:59.68 with Dibaba just a second behind as Melkamu and Yimer trailed.
“I knew I had lost the race with two laps to go when the other Kenyans fell out but I’m happy with the bronze,” said Masai.
Masai’s next race is in the 5,000m in the Diamond League in London.
ShareThis