Musobo, Chesang take world mountain gold

By Norman Katende

World Mountain Running championships

Men Individual

Gold:  Fred Musobo (UGA) 49.00
Silver: Bernard Dematteis (ITA) 49:44
Bronze:  Robbie Simpson (GBR) 50:31

Men Team events

Gold: Italy
Silver: Uganda
Team: Great Britain

Senior women

Gold:  Stella Chesang (UGA) 37:52
Silver: Emily Collinge (GBR) 38:23
Bronze:  Emma Clayton (GBR) 38:33

Women team events

Gold: Great Britain
Silver:  USA
Bronze: Uganda

Uganda continued with its dominancy at the World Mountain Running Championships with Fred Musobo and Stella Chesang winning the individual senior men and women titles at Saturday’s event at Welsh town of Betws-y-Coed.

But the Uganda men’s team failed to defend their team title, settling for team silver as Italy took the top team honours with hosts Great Britain winning bronze.

The Uganda women's team bagged bronze. Photo/Norman Katende

Despite all eyes being focused on defending champion Isaac Kiprop, it was Musobo who put up a great run to win the men’s gold medal.

Musobo, fourth in the Amatrice Configno race in Italy last month and Uganda’s best junior runner at 9th position at the IAAF World Junior cross country championships in Guiyang, China in March,looked focused.

Musobo closely ran behind Italy’s Bernard Dematteis before taking charge towards the half way mark. He had no problem at both the uphill and downhill sections of the senior men race as he dominated  the race and running towards the finish line in 49 minutes as defending champion Isaac Kiprop came in at 22nd position.

Joshua Mwangusho, the other runner, finished in fifth position.

Chesang, who won the junior medal in last year’s event hung on, squeezing past British athletes Emmie Collinge, Emma Clayton and Sarah Tunstall, who had dominated the early stages of the race until the first uphill at about 3km, when Chesang moved through the field and took control of the race, leaving others chasing as she won at 37 minutes 57 seconds.

She however could not win a team gold as Great Britain   was consoled by a team gold medal.

The 2016 World Mountain Running Championships take place in Sapareva Banya, Bulgaria September 4.