Kenyan athletes put up a remarkable performance on Friday at the Commonwealth Games 2018 at Gold Coast, Australia sweeping positions 1-2-3 in the men's 3000m steeplechase final.
Conseslus Kipruto, however, stood out in the entire race that saw Kenya bag Gold, Silver and Bronze.
Kenyans across social media noted how Kipruto sacrificed to see his teammates and compatriots Abraham Kibiwott and Amos Kirui win as well.
[caption caption="Conseslus Kipruto celebrating as he heads to the finish line"]
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Kipruto won praise after he displayed excellent sportsmanship spirit and leadership skills in what was visibly a hotly contested race.
As the race entered the final leg, an energetic Kipruto slowed down to set the pace for his teammates only sprinting at the homestretch once he was convinced both Kibiwott and Kirui would win as well.
At some point, Kipruto and Kibiwott appeared to put up a defensive wall in order to give Kirui a competitive advantage over Canadian Matthew Hughes who was a close challenger.
Kipruto clocked 8:10.08, Kibiwott 8:10.62 and Kirui 8:12.24 narrowly edging Hughes who came fourth at 8:12.33.
No other nation has ever made the podium in the Commonwealth games since 1994.
Speaking to Citizen TV from Gold Coast, Kipruto revealed that although he was certain about his victory, he could not afford to see his compatriots lose hence he devised a strategy to guarantee the team victory.
A fantastic display at the Commonwealth Games as Conseslus Kipruto leads Abraham Kibiwott and Amos Kirui to a Kenyan 1-2-3 sweep in the men's 3,000m steeplechase. Congratulations for an outstanding triumph. #GC2018 pic.twitter.com/Zx9njjU7dX
— William Samoei Ruto (@WilliamsRuto) April 13, 2018
Special congratulations to the Kenyan trio Conseslus Kipruto, Abraham Kibiwot and Amos Kirui for once again demonstrating that the 3,000 Steeplechase is a Kenyan Preserve 1,2,3. Superb team effort right there in Goldcoast, Australia. #CommonwealthGames @NAssemblyKE #Kenya pic.twitter.com/sp6xssYq14
— Speaker. J.B. Muturi (@SpeakerJBMuturi) April 13, 2018
