NAIROBI - Weathering the effects of ruinous post-poll unrest, Kenyan athletes on Saturday hit the tracks in the twice postponed yearly police and prisons cross country championships.
NAIROBI - Weathering the effects of ruinous post-poll unrest, Kenyan athletes on Saturday hit the tracks in the twice postponed yearly police and prisons cross country championships.
Both events, which count towards the selection of the national team for next month's world cross-country championships in Edinburgh, Scotland, had been rescheduled twice in the last month because of the violence in which two athletes were killed and three others wounded.
Luke Kibet, the reigning world marathon champion who returned to racing for the first time after recovering from head injuries inflicted by a rowdy mob on January 1, finished sixth in the prisons championships.
"I was lucky to have survived the experience," said Kibet after the race. "I don't feel any pains." Japan-based Gedion Ngatunyi, who finished fourth in the 12km in Mombasa last year, set a blistering pace to win the race in 35 minutes 51.1 seconds.
Pre-race favourite Thomas Longosiwa dropped out after only two laps citing stomach cramps and fatigue. He was however included in the team for the national trials set for March 1.
Newcomer Margaret Wangari won the women's event. - Sapa-AFP