Tanzania claimed the position after notching 128 points, beating Spain, Peru, South Africa and Japan as its closest challengers. Kenya emerged the overall winners after notching 10 marks followed by Ethiopia with 49 points and Bahrain the country that finished third overall with 58 points.
Tanzania also finished behind Uganda and United States who claimed 4th and 5th positions respectively. Tanzania also finished 6th overall in women discipline after collecting 137 points behind the winners Ethiopia who bagged 17 points and runners-up Kenya who penned 28 points while the third-placed Eritrea notched 55 points.
Uganda finished 4th overall and Morocco claimed the 5th position. Tanzania opened its campaign by clinching 8th position in the mixed relay, Kenya won with Ethiopia finishing runners up.
Other countries which finished ahead of Tanzania included Turkey, Uganda, Baharain Morocco, US. The country’s relay team finished the race in 24 minutes and 13 seconds.
The best from Tanzania in women’s senior race was Failuna Abdi Matanga who finished 15th after clocking 33:48.
Kenya runners won top six positions in the race. Magdalena Shauri fought to finish 27th out of 105 runners who lined up for the race from all over the world. Olympian Sara Ramadhani finished 50th behind her team mate Magdalena Mbua.
While Tanzania ended medal-less, her regional neighbors, Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia enjoyed the victories in various disciplines of the tough and grueling races.
The hosts Uganda had their first gold through Jacob Kip limo, who excited his fellow Ugandans after winning Junior 8km race. He won the gold medal in the third race to raise hopes of Ugandans that had been thwarted following a poor performance in the first two races, which the hosts trailed in the fourth and eighth positions.
Kenya and Ethiopia won the first two gold medals of the day, the first in mixed relay which was first race of the day. For winning gold, Kenya walked away with $12,000, Ethiopia $8,000, Turkey $6,000 and Uganda $4,000.
However, Letesenbet Gidey of Ethiopia ran a superb race to win the junior women’s 6km race. She retains her title at IAAF championship as Ugandan athlete trailed in the 8th position.
Team Ethiopia won gold and silver in the Under-20 Women World Cross Country championship race held at Kololo Independence Grounds.
The Kenyan team won the Mixed relay final, the first race of the day, with a total time of 22.22 minutes. In second came Team Ethiopia and in third was Team Turkey. Kenya’s Asbel Kiprop, the 2007 World U20 Cross Country champion, led from the start and he kept up the pace ahead of Ethiopia’s Welde Tufa on a hot Sunday afternoon.
The Kenyans willed on their own as Kiprop showed great strength and consistency to give his team a sizeable headstart. Winfried Nzisa Mbithe carried on for the Kenyans as the crowds burst into life.
Ethiopia was a close second while Turkey battled on in third. At some point, Turkey’s Meryem Akdag was hot-onthe-heels of Ethiopia’s Bone Cheluke.
At the second changeover, Team Kenya had built a wealthy 15 seconds over Ethiopia and 18 over pursuing Turkey. Hosts Uganda and Bahrain were still in it. Bernard Koros of Kenya took it on for the Kenyans as Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia was close behind.
Koros eventually handed over to Beatrice Chepkoech who had to face some formidable competition in the form of Genzebe Dibaba. Dibaba did manage to close in on the Kenyan, but Chepkoech kept up and crossed the finish line to secure Kenya’s gold in the maiden Mixed relay race.
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