Daegu day one: Kenya’s morning. Kenya’s evening. Kenya’s day

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Daegu day one. Distance day. Kenya’s morning. Kenya’s evening. Kenya’s day.

By Len Johnson

Kenya celebrates its independence from Britain on 12 December. But it was Kenya’s national day in Daegu on 27 August.

There may well be better days to come, but Kenya took both gold medals, all the minor medals and one fourth place on the opening day of Daegu 2011 world championships.

Thank heaven for distance races. The revised program for the world champs (and next year’s Olympic Games) may have other virtues, but it leaves the first day hostage to the success of just two events – the women’s marathon and the women’s 10,000 metres.

Everyone from the top of the IAAF to the bottom will therefore be composing mental notes of thanks to Kenya’s women distance runners who dominated the two events like no country ever has.

I suppose if you want to quibble, Kenya’s women could have got the first five places in the marathon, as it incorporated the World Cup. Instead, it was merely all three medals, with 2010 New York winner Edna Kiplagat leading home teammates Priscah Jeptoo and Sharon Cherop after 42.195 kilometres around the warm and humid streets of central Daegu.

Then, in the evening session, Vivian Cheruiyot won the 10,000 from teammates Sally Kipyego, defending champion Linet Masai and PriscahCherono. It was total domination after token resistance from Ethiopia’s number one, Meseret Defar, and a harder fight from the incredibly consistent Meselech Melkamu.

There was always worries about the marathons in Daegu, which one travel guide describes as having the most oppressive weather in Asia. Not recommended reading for marathoners, that one.

Women’s marathon day, at least, has dodged the bullet. It was warm – 26 deg.C – and the humidity was up over 70 percent for the 9am start, but there was cloud cover for pretty much the entire race.

With London marathon winner Mary Keitany and runner-up Liliya Shobukhova both giving Daegu a miss, Kiplagat was the fastest woman in the field (and also third-fastest on this year’s performance list).

If there was any pressure on her, it never showed. Kiplagat lurked at the back of a big pack early in the race, watching closely for moves that never came. When she went, just past 30km, it was decisive, with only her teammates able to stay with her. From there, only disaster could stop her.

It very nearly did, as Cherop tripped her as they exchanged positions at the 37.5km drink stop. Kiplagat hit the road hard, gashing her knee, but a horrified Cherop helped her teammate to her feet and no real damage ensued.

Even with the fall, that last full 5km split took 16:10. Kiplagat continued at that pace to the finish, her 2:28:43 one of the slower winning times in world championships history, but still impressive with a 71:57 close.

So on to the 10,000. I’m one of those who thinks he has never seen a bad 10,000 – there’s always some saving grace. This one didn’t need any help, though, with teammates and rivals Cheruiyot and Masai both going for distance doubles here and Ethiopia moving Meseret Defar up to the longer distance to try and thwart them.

There were little cameos – such as Shalane Flanagan, Jenn Rhines and Kara Goucher leading early in east-African fashion. That couldn’t last, but it was great to see.

Then Masai, with that classical languid style, cranking the pace up either side of half-way, shredding the lead pack one by one until it was just her and her teammates fighting out the medals (with Melkamu keeping them honest, but no more than that).

The surprise was Sally Kipyego, who has had a long US collegiate career, but has not taken off internationally until this year. It was she, not Masai, who posed the biggest threat to Cheruiyot in the closing stages. But Cheruiyot was not to be caught, as defending 5000 metres champion she has plenty of speed. A 61-second final lap took her to a one-second win.

Masai looked in trouble at one stage of the final lap, but fought back to take the bronze ahead of Cherono. Melkamu was fifth, Defar did not finish.

Now Vivian Cheruiyot has the 5000 to come. Can anyone other than a teammate stop her? Can Kenya go 1-2-3-4 again?

It could, which would create a little more history. The feat has only been possible since the introduction of the wild card entry for defending champions, and the only two previous occasions both came in Helsinki in 2005 when Ethiopia went 1-2-3-4 in the women’s 5000, as did the USA in the men’s 200.

An appearance by Usain Bolt in the 100 metres heats late in the program was almost an anti-climax, but the great man did enough to suggest it will be Jamaica Day tomorrow.