NAIROBI, Kenya, November 2 – Africa Cross Country champion Cintia Chepng’eno admits her win at Saturday’s Athletics Kenya (AK) Cross Country Series was a pleasant surprise.
Chepng’eno revealed she was simply competing in the third leg of the annual series to assess her fitness after a lengthy injury lay-off.
“I have been out for a while…since the World Cross Country Championships (in Belgrade) where I suffered a muscle injury. I did not expect to win; in fact I came to test my fitness levels and so to win today is a pleasant surprise,” the 24-year-old said.
Chepng’eno clocked 34:27.4 to win the senior women’s 10km, cutting the tape ahead of Cardiff Half Marathon champion Miriam Chebet (34:28.5) and world half marathon bronze medalist Catherine Reline (34:29.7) in second and third respectively.
Divulging further, the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) runner said she was in awe of the competition in the women’s race, reiterating that her win was by luck.
“The competition was very tough indeed. I did not expect to win it. Looking at the startlist and seeing the name of Reline, I knew it was going to be very competitive. It was a sprint to the finish and I took my chance,” she said.
Chepng’eno adds that she will return to training to improve on her speed even as she gets her fitness to optimal level.
“I want to go and work on my speed because that’s one area I feel, needs to improve. My focus is on getting better; I am not thinking about upcoming competitions. I am not sure whether I will compete in the other legs of the series…that is something I must discuss with the coach to know what he thinks,” she said.
The win was her second this year after she clocked 32:32 to win the senior women’s title at the Africa Cross Country Championships in Hammamet, Tunisia in February.
