World Athletics Championships: East African Athletes Shine

The IGAD region had a remarkably successful World Athletics Championship 2015 in Beijing last week with Kenya topping the medal table with 7 gold, 6 silver and 3 bronze medals, and beating Jamaica, the US and the UK, into second, third and fourth in the medals’ table.

Ethiopia came fifth with 3 gold, 3 silver, and 2 bronze medals.

Kenyans took gold medals in the men’s 800m; the women’s 10,000m; the men’s 3,000m steeplechase; the women’s 3,000m steeplechase; the men’s 400m hurdles; the men’s javelin and men’s 1,500m.

Genzebe Dibaba in the women’s 1,500m; Mare Dibaba in the women’s marathon; and Almaz Ayana in the women’s 5.000m won Ethiopia’s gold medals.

Gelete Burka, Senbere Teferi and Yemane Tsegaye brought silver medals in the women’s 10,000m, the women’s 5,000 and the men’s marathon, respectively.

Hagos Gebrhiwet in the men’s 5,000m and Genzebe Dibaba in the women’s 5,000 took bronze medals.

The first three places in the women’s 5,000 meters also went to Ethiopians.

Eritrea won its first ever gold medal at the World Championships in the men’s marathon