Kenya maintained its place at the top of the athletics world, winning four gold medals and finishing second in the standings, way ahead of athletics powers like the USA and Great Britain.
Girls 3000m
Kenya reigned supreme in this event with Rosefline Chepngetich and Daisy Jepkemei claiming gold and silver. They thus continued Kenya’s strong tradition in the event. The 16 year old Chepngetich took the lead with three laps to go and subsequently increased the tempo until there were only three left in the leading group. With two laps to go, the Kenyan duo increased the pace yet again and in the process, shook off Ethiopia’s Weynet Ansha.
The two Kenyans went stride-for-stride until the final barrier but Chepngetich’s superior kick prevailed and she crossed the line in 6:14.60, well clear of Jepkemei in second with a personal best of 6:15.12.
Boys 1500m
Robert Biwott literally left his opponents gasping for breath as he set a searing pace from the starting gun and led for the entire race.
In the process he shaved 3 seconds off the the 2013 world youth-leading mark and finished more than four-and-a-half seconds ahead of silver medalist Tesfu Tewelde of Eritrea who himself registered a 3:42.14 personal best.
Biwott passed the 400m mark in 59.41 before upping the tempo to a 57.54 second-lap split, reaching 800m in 1:56.95 and enjoying a 10-metre advantage over his nearest rivals with two laps to go.
He then sped up again with a 57.44 lap to go through 1200m in 2:54.39 as he hit the bell with a 50-metre advantage over the chasing group.
With a final 300m covered in 42.38, the African youth champion stormed home to take his nation’s sixth title in this event during the eight editions of this championship.
Tewelde meanwhile, overhauled Kenya’s Titus Kipruto Kibiego with 70 metres remaining to take the silver medal, as Kibiego clocked 3:42.97 for bronze.
Boys 800m
Alfred Kipketer ran a storming first lap which he cleared in an astonishing 48.63 split. This is half a second faster than the 49.28 first lap that David Rudisha ran en route to his 1:40.91 World record. He was way ahead of the field but at the 700m mark he seemed to have run out of steam as the rest of the field closed in led by Kyle Langford of Great Britain and Konstantin Tolokonnikov of Russia. However Kipketer found a reserve of energy in the last 50m to fend off his challengers and win gold in 1:48.01.
Girl’s 3000m
16 year old Lilian Rengeruk shaved 13 seconds off her personal best to win the girls 3000m in 8:58.74. It was a thrilling finish in which Rengeruk held off two Ethiopian challengers who ended up finishing second and third. Rengeruk took off at breakneck pace and at one point held a 50m lead. But the Ethiopians slowly narrowed the gap and looked to be within striking distance as they charged down the back straight. But Rengeruk held them off with a kick of her own.
Boys 400m
Lerionka Sampao clinched the bronze medal in the 400m with a new personal best of 46.78 well clear of team mate Ian Mutuku who was fourth in 47.02. Kenyan boys typically do well in the long sprints at the global youth event. But for various reasons they can never carry their success to the senior level. For example Julius Kirwa looked extremely promising in 2005 when he beat American phenom Bryshon Nellum to win silver in the 400m. He was only 15 at the time. A year later he represented Kenya in the Commonwealth games. However Kirwa’s senior career has not panned out as anticipated.
In the 2011 event, Kenya’s Alphas Kishoyian won the silver medal. At the 2013 event in Donetsk, Jamaican Michael Manley won in 45.89.
What of the 100m?