Ethiopian Athletic Federation – News – Gelete Burka wins 1500m

National 1500m champion Gelete Burka was a comfortable winner of women’s 1500m in the final day of action at the 9th All-African Games in Algiers, Algeria.

And Tariku Bekele extended the country’s medal count in the athletics to thirteen on the final day with a hard-fought bronze in the men’s 5000m

In the women’s 1500m, Gelete produced one of the most commanding performances of the Games with a run-away victory over Kenyan Veronica Nyaruai and Namibian Agnes Samaria. The 21-year old clocked 4:06.89 for the victory with fellow Ethiopian Ethiopian Meskerem Assefa coming home an encouraging fourth.

But world junior 5000m champion and pre-race favorite Tariku Bekele did not have it his way in the men’s 5000m final. The 20-year old looked comfortable going into the penultimate final lap of the race, but was outrun, first by Uganda’s African 10000m champion Moses Kipsiro and then by Kenyan Menjo Kiprono to settle for bronze.

Fellow Ethiopians Abraham Cherkose and Ali Abdosh followed him across the line in fourth and fifth.

Following five days of action-packed drama in the Algerian capital, Ethiopia finish fifth in the medals’ table for the athletics with a total of 13 medals, out of which four were gold.

RESULTS

Men’s 1500m: 1. Asbel Kiprop KEN 3:38.97 2. Antar Zerguelaine ALG 3:39.04 3. Tarek Boukensa ALG 3:39.18 4. Derese Mekonnen ETH 3:40.01 5. Kamel Boulhafane ALG 3:40.16 6. Geoffrey Rono KEN 3:40.25, 7. Juan van Deventer RSA 3:40.48, 8. Demma Daba ETH 3:40.47, 9. Issak Sibhatu Zemicale ERI 3:40.99

Men’s 5000m: 1. Moses Kipsiro UGA 13:12.51, 2. Menjo Kiprono KEN 13:12.64, 3. Tariku Bekele ETH 13:13.43, 4. Abraham Cherkose ETH 13:14.90, 5. Ali Abdosh ETH 13:16.21

Women’s 1500m: 1. Gelete Burka ETH 4:06.89, 2. Veronica Nyaruai KEN 4:09.11, 3. Agnes Samaria NAM 4:09.18, 4. Meskerem Assefa 4:09.83, 5. Nahida Touhami ALG 4:12.34, 6. Rene Kalmer RSA 4:12.38, 7. Margaret Wangari KEN 4:13.70, 8. Fatima Lanouar TUN 4:14.39, 9. Meraf Ogbagaber ERI 4:15.12, 10. Amina Bakhit SUD 4:20.22, 11. Mapaseka Makhanya RSA 4:22.14, 12. Mestawet Tadesse ETH 4:23.15

Source: Ethiopian Athletic Federation – News