Reigning national 100m hurdles champion Gladys Ngure and national 200m sprint champion Millicent Ndoro continued their dominant form at the third Athletics Kenya (AK) weekend meeting in Kapsabet, delivering commanding double victories on the final day at the Eliud Kipchoge Sports Complex.
Ngure carried forward her momentum from the second AK meeting in Thika, sweeping both the 100m and 400m hurdles.
She powered to 15.0 seconds in the 100m hurdles to finish ahead of Priscilla Tabunda (15.2s) and Vicky Makokha (15.5s). Later, she claimed the 400m hurdles in 61.5 seconds, edging Florence Akinyi (62.4s) and Alice Obaga (67.8s).
“The race was nice. I am happy because God has done it for me again,” Ngure said after completing her brace. Her Kapsabet exploits mirrored her Thika performance, where she recorded 15.1s and 61.9s in the 100m and 400m hurdles respectively.
Ndoro was equally dominant, winning the 100m sprint in 11.6 seconds, narrowly ahead of Lilian Owako (11.7s) and Eunice Kadogo (11.9s).
She later completed her double with a 23.6-second finish in the 200m, beating Owako (23.9s) and Beka Mukhwana (25.3s).
In the women’s 400m, Mercy Chebet held her ground with a 53.7-second victory, outpacing Purity Chepkoech (54.7s) and Mercy Cherop (55.0s). Chebet attributed her performance to improved conditions, noting the impact of the previous day’s cold and rainy weather.
Among the men, George Mutinda claimed the 400m title in 45.5 seconds, just ahead of Allan Kipyego (45.8s) and Kelvin Tonui (46.8s).
The women’s 5,000m saw Phenah Yego edge out Janeth Chepng’etich in a nail-biting finish, clocking 15:36.3 against Chepng’etich’s 15:36.5.
Cynthia Chepkurui took third in 15:42.6. Chepng’etich, who had already won the 10,000m on Friday in 34:36.9, expressed satisfaction with another podium finish.
In the 1,500m races, Mary Ekiru surged in the final lap to win in 4:21.2, while Danson Mutai claimed the men’s title in 3:42.4.
Race walking action saw three-time African champion Samuel Gathimba dominate the men’s 20km walk in 1:23:59, with Heristone Wanyonyi and Peter Muigai completing the podium.
Silvia Kemboi won the women’s 20km walk in 1:43:11 ahead of Caren Simiyu (1:47:49) and Naum Jepkirui (1:49:05).
The men’s 10,000m went to Weldon Langat in 28:56.6, with Kelvin Rotich (28:58.7) and Mathew Kipruto (29:11.1) following closely behind.
