Faith Rono won the women’s 3000m Youth Olympic title in Dakar.
Rono edges Ethiopia’s Tsigab Yordanos in Dakar to secure Kenya’s fourth gold, while Wesley Kiplagat earns silver on his steeplechase debut.
Faith Rono won the women’s 3000m gold at the Youth Olympics in Dakar, securing Kenya’s fourth gold medal. She clocked 9:15.47 after holding off Ethiopia’s Tsigab Yordanos in a close finish.
Yordanos claimed silver in 9:15.71, while Uganda’s Keren Chelimo completed the podium in 9:32.41. The victory marked a turnaround for Rono after her 19th-place finish at the World Athletics Under-20 Championship in Oregon.
Rono controlled the pace early, but Yordanos moved ahead around the final bend. However, the Kenyan stayed composed before accelerating past her rival to win.
Faith Rono turns Oregon setback into gold
Rono explained that she deliberately allowed Yordanos to take the lead so she could assess her strength. She then made her decisive move, leaving the Ethiopian unable to match her finishing pace.
She also linked her determination in Dakar to the disappointment she experienced in Oregon. Rono said the harsh weather conditions there had challenged her and motivated her to deliver a stronger performance.
Moments later, Wesley Kiplagat added silver for Kenya in the men’s 2000m steeplechase. He clocked 5:36.28 in his first steeplechase competition, having recently switched from the 3000m.
Ethiopia’s Abdo Junedin won gold in 5:29.30, while Uganda’s Michael Kibet took bronze in 5:39.50. Kiplagat said pressure from both rivals disrupted his planned final-lap attack.
He also struggled to clear the water barrier after the bell, which affected his finish. Nevertheless, Kiplagat said he would put in more effort as he targeted gold in a future race.
Kenyan wrestlers and boxer miss medals
Meanwhile, Calvin Omweri and Jemimah Wanjala ended their beach wrestling campaigns without medals at Saly Beach West. Omweri exited the men’s 70kg preliminaries with one victory and two defeats in Group B.
He lost 3-0 to Ukraine’s Mykyta Kuzmenko and 5-0 to Georgia’s Luka Makharadze. However, he recovered to defeat Hungary’s Mark Zemen 3-0 for his only win.
In the women’s 65kg competition, Wanjala lost all three Group A contests. Spain’s Graciela Eningo and eventual champion Yolayni Rosado Valerio of the Dominican Republic each beat her 4-2. India’s Antra Antra also defeated her 4-0.
Kenyan boxer Ella Damesi exited the women’s 51kg medal race after a quarter-final defeat to Venezuela’s Grenyelis Garcia. The 16-year-old entered the bout following a first-round bye but could not overcome her opponent.
