Belgian sprinters in action at the World Under-20 Championships in Eugene, USA. [AFP]
Kenya once again showed Africa the way when it emerged top on the continent and second globally at the World Under-20 Championships, which concluded in Eugene, Oregon, United States of America (USA), yesterday.
The country’s teenagers bounced back from disappointing performances on day four of the championships to pull off major surprises on the final day.
Yesterday morning, a squad of six Kenyan youngsters competing in three different events rewrote history as they reinforced Kenya’s dominance in dramatic finals at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon.
The Kenyan Under-20 cast overcame falls, a lost shoe, a missed water jump in the steeplechase and a disqualification to bring home 11 medals, finishing behind hosts USA, who bagged 24 medals.
Team Kenya added four medals to the seven it won at the 2024 edition in Lima, Peru, where the country finished fifth on the medal table behind USA, which topped the charts, Ethiopia, China and Jamaica.
Astounding performances, especially on the first and final days of the Under-20 show, catapulted Kenya to the top in Africa and number two in the world. When the last race was run yesterday morning, Kenya had hauled four gold, three silver and four bronze medals, while the closest African country was Ethiopia, with a total of six medals.