Mutai, Jepkosgei hail relay team for bagging bronze at Championship

Despite returning home with only a bronze medal to show from this year’s IAAF World Relays Championship in Yokohama, Japan, Kenya’s athletes received praise from Kenyans at large.

The 4×400 mixed relay team brought home the bronze medal secured by the quartet of Jared Momanyi, Maureen Thomas, Hellen Syombua Aron Koech in 3:19:43 ahead of well established short-race countries like Italy, Poland, Brazil, Germany and Belgium.

The 4x200m men’s squad of Mark Odhiambo, Mike Mokamba, Samuel Chege and Alphas Kishoyian finished fourth, an impressive performance according to fellow athletes on social media.

“Kenya we got talent, these athletes should be given a better place to train. The technical team we still got a lot to do. Helen, she’s a big talent and AK should watch her,” former 800m world champion, Janneth Jepkosgei wrote on her Twitter handle.

“Even with the very many changes in the championship events Kenya can still win medals.  Please Athletics Kenya let’s start now for a better tomorrow,” sprinter Mark Mutai tweeted.

Despite a good start, Kenya’s 4x200m women’s team (Eunice Kadogo, Millicent Ndoro, Joan Cherono and Freshia Mwangi) flopped in baton change to register a DNF (did not finish).

In the inaugural 2x2x400 meters mixed relay, Kenya team of Collins Kipruto and Eglay Nalyanya finished fourth but were disqualified after Nalyanya was adjudged to have stepped off the track.

As the team returns home,  their performance will make for major talking points after finishing sixth in the 2017 event held at the Thomas Robinson Stadium in Nassau, Bahamas with 16 points which is a little better than the seventh place finish in 2015 with 15 points.

The first edition in 2014 saw Kenya finish third with 35 points after winning three gold medals.

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JAPAN bronze World Relays Championship Yokohama

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