Eric Sikuku/ FILEVeteran race walker Eric Shikuku will be chasing another gold medal today (Wednesday) at 11:25am Kenyan time when he lines up for the M50 5,000m race walk at the World Masters Athletics Championships in Daegu, South Korea.
Shikuku set Kenya’s golden campaign in motion at the championships, becoming the country’s first gold medallist and setting the tone for an impressive medal haul.
The seasoned race walker won the M50 10km race walk title in 49:35 during the opening weekend, finishing comfortably ahead of Puerto Rico’s Melvin Mercado (54:16) and India’s Biju Pudussery (55:40).
Buoyed by that victory, Shikuku is now targeting a memorable race-walking double in Daegu.
“First one safely secured. Grateful for the opportunity and the win,” Shikuku said after his 10km victory.
The 52-year-old will be seeking to add another medal to his impressive trophy cabinet, having built a remarkable record in Masters athletics.
His collection of honours includes a golden double at the 2018 World Masters Athletics Championships in Malaga, Spain, where he won the M40 5,000m and 10,000m race walks.
Shikuku repeated the feat in 2023 at the World Masters Indoor Championships in Torun, Poland, winning the M45 3,000m indoor race walk in 12:34.62 before adding the M45 10km race walk title.
His winning run continued at the 2024 World Masters Athletics Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden, where he completed another golden double by winning the M45 10km road race walk in 44:16.56 and the 5,000m track race walk in 21:48.45.
Last year in Gainesville, Florida, Shikuku showed his enduring class at the World Masters Indoor Championships. He won the M50 3,000m race walk in 12:34.20 before claiming the M50 10km road race walk title in 45:25.10.
Elsewhere on Tuesday, Jared Momanyi added another medal to Kenya’s tally by winning bronze in the M35 400m.
Momanyi clocked 48.62 to finish third behind Saudi Arabia’s Ismaeel Alsubiani, who won gold in 46.97, while Israel’s Dor Kollwitz took silver in 48.30.
Meanwhile, Sylvia Chesebe and Grace Kidake booked their places in Wednesday’s women’s 400m finals after winning their respective heats.
In the W35 category, Chesebe won Heat Two in 56.88, ahead of Japan’s Saori Toyama (57.27) and Australia’s Lauren McAdam (58.50).
Kidake was equally impressive in the W40 division, winning Heat Two in 59.19. France’s Joanna Derbier (1:00.52) and South Africa’s Ingrid Crouse (1:00.82) completed the top three.
Chesebe will be chasing her second gold medal of the championships after winning the W35 800m title last Monday in 2:09.87. Australia’s Nicolette Hargrave took silver in 2:11.26, while Spain’s Stephanie Araya settled for bronze in 2:14.57.
Kidake, meanwhile, will be looking to upgrade the W40 800m silver she won after clocking 2:18.75. Benin’s Noelie Yarigo took gold in 2:10.55.
