Athletics-Gaylord gets 12km PB at World Cross Country Championships |30 March 2010

Sunday’s races in Myslecinek Park turned out to be a Kenyan festival as for the first time since 1994 the East African nation won all gold medals at stake – four individual and four team titles – to re-establish the old cross-country order.

Competing in the men’s 12km race, France-based Gaylord finished 121st out of 127 with 39:45 – 6:45 slower than the time registered by 22-year-old Kenyan winner Joseph Ebuya (33:00).

The time of 39:45 is Gaylord’s PB, beating his previous, which stood at 43:03 set in 2008 in Edinburgh, Scotland, when he finished 163rd.

Ebuya was followed in second place by Eritrean Teklemariam Medhin, who finished six seconds back (in 33:06), and Ugandan Moses Ndiena Kipsiro was third in 33:10.

Defending champion Gebre-gziabher Gebremariam of Ethiopia was a disappointing 10th, 35 seconds behind Ebuya.

Jaffa stopped the clock at 34 minutes 51 seconds (34:51) to be placed 83rd out of 84 competitors in the women’s senior 8km race won by Kenyan Emily Chebet in 24:19 after outsprinting compatriot Linet Masai for the gold medal.

Masai won the silver medal for the second year running with 24.20, while Ethiopian Meselech Melkamu completed the medal podium with a time of 24:26.

Former winner Tirunesh Dibaba of Ethiopia was placed fourth in 24:38.

Jaffa, who was ranked ninth with 35:58.5 in the women’s African Athletics Confederation’s (AAC) Southern Region cross-country 8km race at the Reef golf course, Anse Aux Pins, holds the Seychelles record over the distance – 32:53.8 which she got on February 14 last year at the Roche Caïman fitness trail.

Kenyans swept the top-four finishing positions in both the men’s and women’s junior races.

Caleb Mwangangi Ndiku won the men's junior 8km race and Mercy Cherono captured the women's junior 6km title.

Winner Ndiku clocked 22:07, Clement Kiprono Langat was two seconds back in second place, with Japhet Kipyegon Korir another three seconds behind in third.

Cherono led another Kenyan sweep by winning the women's junior 6km race in 18:47. Purity Cherotich Rionoripo was seven seconds behind in second position and Esther Chemtai took third, another second behind.

The winners of the senior races received US $30,000, with the silver medallists getting US $15,000 and bronze winners taking home US $10,000. The fourth, fifth and sixth place finishers got US $7,000, US $5,000 and US $3,000.

G. G.