Cheptegei, Kiplimo lead medal quest at World x-try

Kampala. Like an army commander who goes to the war front without his best weapon, Team Uganda will be without their biggest medal prospect Moses Kipsiro at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Guiyang, China this morning.
Kipsiro pulled out of the event after receiving death threats supposedly sent by coach Peter Wemali, whom he exposed for allegedly sexually harassing junior female runners during the Africa Cross-Country Championships training camp in Bukwo last year.

“After all the preparation, it is sad I won’t take part,” said Kipsiro, the only Ugandan to win more than one senior World Cross-country medal (bronze and silver). The absence of Kipsiro’s fatherly figure may have mentally disorganized other Team Uganda runners but they must put the disappointment aside fight for the top prize with cross-country powerhouses Kenya and Ethiopia.
“We will miss his [Kipsiro] presence and words of wisdom,” admitted Joshua Cheptegei, one of the favourites in the men’s junior 8km race, said before the team departed on Wednesday.

Having captured the World and Africa Junior Championships 10,000m gold medals in less than a year, the 18-year-old Cheptegei will be viewed by opponents as a serious contender for gold. In case he wins, Chepegei will become the first athlete outside Kenya and Ethiopia to win the junior men’s 8km race since Tanzanian Andre Sambu in 1991.
“I feel my body is in great shape,” the reigning World University Cross-Country champion Cheptegei said, “I hope my body quickly acclimatizes with the China conditions.”
Cheptegei must see off competition from European junior cross-country champion Bulgarian Yemaneberhan Crippa and, Kenyan pair John Langat and Moses Koech. And having upset Kipsiro at the National Cross Country Championships last month, Phillip Kipyeko is ready to continue his fairytale run in the senior men’s 12km over the mountainous course.

“This is a bigger stage for me but I am hopeful my hard work pays off,” Kipyeko said. He will target team points alongside Timothy Toroitich, Moses Kibet and Geoffrey Kusuro.
Following Kipsiro’s withdraw, the senior men’s team was left with four runners and all must finish the race for Uganda to stand a chance of winning a team cash prize.
Shs58m is up for grabs for the best senior team (men and women) with the second taking Shs46m and the third Shs34m. The best individual senior runner will pocket Shs87m and the second Shs43m.

TEAM UGANDA FOR WORLD X-TRY
JUNIOR WOMEN: Mercyline Chelangat,
Doreen Chemutai, Janat Chemusto, Rachael
Chebet Zena & Stella Chesang
JUNIOR MEN: Joshua Cheptegei, Fred
Musobo, Monday Bushendich, Abel Chebet & Robert Chemonges
SENIOR WOMEN: Juliet Chekwel,
Adero Nyakisi, Nancy Cheptegei, Patricia
Chekwemboi & Emily Chebet
SENIOR MEN: Timothy Toroitich, Philip
Kipyeko, Geoffrey Kusuro & Moses Kibet

[email protected]