Kenya strikes three medals as World U20 Championships kick off

Kenya surged out of the blocks on day one of the World Athletics Under-20 Championships after capturing three medals including a gold at Hayward Field in Eugene, USA on Wednesday.

World Under-20 Cross Country champion Frankline Kibet led a Kenyan 1-2 in the men’s 5000m to win his first global track title, with a time of 13minutes 28.27 seconds to retain Kenya’s 2024 win.

His countryman Nehemiah Kipngeno took silver in 13:30.09 as Damitew Kebede rounded out the podium for Ethiopia in a personal best of 13:35.38.

Kenyans arrived in Eugene as the defending men's 5,000m champions after Andrew Alamisi stormed to gold in Lima, Peru, in 2024, stopping the clock at 13:41.14.

Earlier on, Kenya’s Joyline Chepkemoi settled for bronze in the women’s 5000m with a personal best of 15:09.08 in the race won by Uganda’s Charity Cherop, who upgraded her silver medal from Lima to gold in Eugene, winning in 15:03.88.

Kenya last won the women’s 5000m title in Tampere in 2018 through current world record holder over 5,000m and 10,000m Beatrice Chebet.