1.
GV start of ten thousand metres men's race
0.14

2.
GV crowd watching runners around track (3 shots)
0.24

3.
SV Killili winning race
0.38

4.
GV start of fifteen hundred metre race for men
0.54

5.
SV crowd watching as Kipsubai passes Mungai to win race(2 shots)
1.15

6.
SV start of mens four x four hundred relay
1.26

7.
SV crowd watching as runners exchange batons (3 shots)
1.38

8.
GV crowd watches as Prison's team exchanges baton and David Kipkoech runs final lap to win (3 shots)
2.00



Initials RH/0127 RH/YA/AH/0138


SPORT: ATHLETICS

Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: An Olympic qualifying time of 46.4 seconds has boosted Kenya's hopes of retaining their Olympic 4x400 metres relay title in Montreal.

Kenyan track and field officials were worried about the absence of a fourth man to join Steve Chepkonwy, Washington Njiiri and 1972 Olympic relay gold medallist Charles Asarti.

But the performance of David Kipkoech in the event of the Nairobi Amateur Athletics Association annual championships on Saturday (15 May) indicated that Kenya could again be the team to beat in the last Olympic track final on 31 July.

In another thrilling finish, Simon Kilili of Kenya Prisons, another hopeful for a medal in Montreal, won the 10,000-metre race in 29 minutes one second.

He broke away from his team mate John Kirimiti with eight laps to go and strode to the finish line with great ease to record one of the fastest times over the distance at a mile-high altitude.

Kirimiti finished second with a time of 29 minutes nine point four seconds.

Nairobi Amateur Athletics Association officials believe that these times would be at least one minute faster at sea level.

In the 1500 metres men's event, Kipsubai Koskei shocked favourite David Mungai into second spot. Mungai had stayed with the pack until the final stretch. But Kipsubai's sudden burst in the final stretch was too much for him.

Kipsubai returned a time of three minutes 48.8 seconds to win the event.