KIP KEINO CLASSIC: Youngster Kimeli outsprints Ethiopian Berihu to clinch 5,000m crown

KIP KEINO CLASSIC: Youngster Kimeli outsprints Ethiopian Berihu to clinch 5,000m crown
The players warming up under conditioning coach Enos Karani. PHOTO/Timothy Olobulu

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 3 – Youngster Nicholas Kimeli put up a scintillating final lap pace to outsprint Ethiopia’s Argawi Berihu and clinch victory in the 5,000m race at the Kip Keino Classic, a World Athletics Continental Gold Tour meet at the Nyayo Stadium on Saturday.

The Kenyan youngster with the fastest time over 10,000m this season put up the afterburners, digging deep into his energy reserves and powered on by the sizeable crowd to win the race in 13:08.32.

Berihu was second in 13:08.91 while another youngster, Jacob Krop finished third in 13:11.88.

Kimeli and Berihu were shoulder to shoulder with 200m to go with the Ethiopian looking to box the Kenyan out. However, with a shoulder in ahead of his competitor at the home straight, there was no way of stopping him.

-More to follow

Timothy Olobulu

A lover of sports who seeks to tell the African story in an African way. Top ten finalist of the Abu Dhabi Sports Media Pearl Awards. Be it on the pitch, court, track, pool or course, the story will be told. On twitter @olobulu