Betty Chelangat wins 3000m, Addisu Yihune takes 5000m – World U20 Championships Day 1

Betty Chelangat won the women’s 3000m gold medal at the World Athletics U20 Championships here at the Pascual Guerrero Olympic Stadium in Cali, Colombia, on Monday, 1 August, with a time of 9:01.03.

Chelangat battled with teammate Nancy Cherop and Ethiopia’s Tsiyon Abebe for most of the contest before taking command of the tactical encounter to win the first gold medal at this year’s championships.

Abebe, the second fastest U20 woman in the event this season, finished with the silver medal in a time of 9:03.85 with the bronze going to Cherop at 9:05.98. Read more: Juliette Whittaker runs 2:04.92 in 800m first round at World U20 Championships

Addisu Yihune wins 5000m title

Meanwhile, the men’s 5000m went to Ethiopia’s Addisu Yihune, who improved on his fourth-place finish in Nairobi, Kenya, last year.

Yihune finished strongly down the final stretch to hold off Eritrea’s Merhawi Mebrahtu to take the gold medal with a time of 14:03.05, with the latter collecting silver with 14:03.33.

The bronze medal went to Mebrahtu’s compatriot Samuel Habtom with a time of 14:03.67 after he found a gap on the inside and moved up from fifth place to secure a podium spot.

Photo: Oscar Munoz Badilla for World Athletics

3000M WOMEN’S U20 FINAL RESULTS

5000 METRES U20 MEN FINAL RESULTS