Edmund Serem led Kenya to a 1-2 finish in the 3,000msc final as curtains came down on the 20th World Athletics under-20 championships in Lima, Peru, early Sunday.
Serem, the African silver medalist, bagged gold in style with a world-leading time of 8 minutes 15.28 seconds, while his compatriot Mathew Kosgei took silver in a personal best time of 8:17.46 minutes,as Hailu Ayalew of Ethiopia took home bronze.
Kenya’s hopes of winning medals in 1500m men and women were dashed as Mary Nyaboke and Mirriam Chemutai finished 10th and 14th, respectively.
Saron Berhe of Ethiopia, Rachel Forysth from Canada, and Jolanda Kallabis of Germany took podium positions, respectively.
Josphat Kipkirui finished 4th the men’s 1500m final, won by Ethiopian Abdiya Fayisa, who completed his double victory in 3:40.51 minutes, followed by Cameron Myers of Australia and Spanish Alex Pintado in 2nd and 3 positions , respectively.
Kenya finished 6th overall with 7 medals: 3 golds, 3 silvers, and 1 bronze medal.
Gold medalists for Kenya were Sarah Moraa in 800m,Andrew Kiptoo Alamisi in 5,000m and Edmund Serem in 3,000msc.
Three Kenyan silvers were won by Mathew Kosgei in 3,000msc,Denis Kipkoech and Marion Jepngetich both in 3,000m with Diana Chepkemoi winning the only bronze in 3,000msc.
The USA won the championships with 16 medals, of which 8 were gold, 4 silver, and 4 bronze.
Ethiopia finished second with 6 golds, 2 silvers, and 2 bronzes, followed by China in third with 11 medals, 4 golds, 4 silvers, and 3 bronzes.
The 21st edition of the global age group championships will be staged in 2026 in Eugene, USA.
