Legese Strikes Gold!

In what has to be considered one of the biggest upset of the Championships so far, 17 year old Ethiopian Legese Lamiso has won the gold medal in the Steeplechase race at the 5th IAAF World Youth Championships. Legese handily beat his Kenyan and Moroccan opponents, and in the process established a new World Youth leading time. With this victory, Legese has also brought the first ever global Steeplechase title to Ethiopia. The great Eshetu Tura, who currently coaches the Ethiopian National Team, won the Bronze Medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympics.

Kenyans have had stranglehold in the Steeplechase event for decades, winning gold in every Olympic Games they have participated in starting 1968. In the 2004 Athens Olympics, Kenya took all three medals in the Steeplechase. The fact that Legese was able to easily outrun the Kenyans in their trademark event shows what a bright future he has ahead of him. Well done!

In other events, Mahlete Melese and Sule Ututra took Silver and Bronze in Girls 3000M. Henok Tesfaye nearly won Gold in the Boys 800M but a misstep on the curb during the last 200M caused him to drop down to seventh place.

Currently Ethiopia sits in 8th place on the Medal Table.