Rionoripo wins Africa's first Gold in Bressanone/Brixen

Submitted by editor on 9 July 2009 - 8:49am

Kenya's Purity Rionoripo last night won Africa's first gold medal in the girls 3000 metres with a personal best of 9:03.79 at the 6th IAAF World Youth Championships in Bressanone/Brixen.

Rionoripo, with a brilliant turn of pace over the final circuit, thus became the third successive Kenyan winner of the World Youth Championships 3000 metres title after leading teammate Jackline Chepngeno and the Ethiopians duo of Genet Yalew and Emebet Anteneh through two even paced kilometres of 3:04.28 and 3:02.89.

Chepngeno powered past Ethiopian Genet Yalew to finish in a personal best of 9:05.93 while Yalew produced her best ever mark for third in 9:08.95.

The Championships' first gold medal went to the German Shot Put Lena Urbaniak with a winning throw of 15.28m in her second attempt.

Urbaniak is one of four and all her siblings practice athletics as well. She already played handball and learned Karate from her father (he has a black belt in this sport).

This has been the tenth Gold medal for Germany in the history of WYCs. The Chinese athlete Yangzi Dong won bronze with 14.65m. 

Syria has now won two WYC golds. The second medal was added today by Hamid Manssour's victory in the Discus Throw of 64.20 in his last attempt. The supermarket employee from Aleppo, a city of 2 million people in Syria, won ahead of the American Ryan Crouser (61.64s).

Traves Smikle won Bronze with a time of 61.22s, also his PB, proving that Jamaica also has great field athletes and is not limited to track events only.

The first day was also marked by two World Youth Leading times.

The first took place in the first event, the 1st round of the Girls' 100m hurdles when the Norwegian Isabelle Pedersen clocked a time of 13.35s. The second WYL went to the Russian Vera Rudakova with a time of 57.83s in the Girls' 400m hurdles. 

Also the Italian team fared well on the first day. Alessia Trost, Italy's biggest medal hope easily qualified for the High Jump finals. Italy has never won a Youth Championship title.

Another Italian, José Reynaldo Bencosme de Leon who was formerly from the Dominican Republic left a great impression today in the 1st round of the 400m Hurdles. Francesca Stevanato placed 11th in the Shot Put.

Martina Bellio qualified for Friday's Triple Jump finals. Furthermore, Giovanni Galbieri (with a PB of 10.65s) and Anna Bongiorni (12.01s) both qualified for the Semi-Finals. Matteo Didioni, the only South Tyrolean athlete at the WYC, was eliminated in the 1st round. 

All the results and flash quotes of the medallists can be viewed at http://www.suedtirol2009.org.