Games and Sports

Bosibori's world record ratified

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Published on Friday, 02 November 2007 05:43

Ruth Bosibori, the All Africa Games women’s 3,000m steeplechase champion, has had her junior world record ratified by the International Association of Athletics Federations.

Ruth Bosibori of Kenya after winning the women’s 3,000m steeplechase gold medal during the Algiers All Africa Games in July. Photos/MOHAMMED AMIN

Bosibori, aged 19, set the junior world best time of 9:25.25 during the Osaka World Athletics Championships, where she finished fourth.

Though she still had a year to compete as a junior athlete, Bosibori chose to compete in the senior race.

“This is the best thing to happen to me. I had no idea I was setting a world record time in Osaka. It was frustrating to miss out on the podium, but see what I got, it is even better,” she said at the Athletics Kenya offices in Nairobi on Thursday.

She has since lowered her junior world mark, running 9:24.51 in South Korea last Sunday. However, her new mark has not been officially ratified by the IAAF.

Bosibori, started running in 2003 while at Kebirichi Secondary School. She was recruited by Kenya Police after winning provincial championships in 2007 in Kisii.

However, it was her running barefoot in Algeria that caught the attention of many as she sprinted to the finish line to grab her first international medal.

In August, in Osaka, Bosibori finished fourth at the World Championships — in a world junior record time of 9:25.25 shattering the old record of 9:30.70, which belonged to Melissa Rollison of Australia.
Bosibori finished behind Yekaterina Volkova 9:06.57, Tatyana Petrova 9:09.19 (both of Russia) and Kenya’s Eunice Jepkorir 9:20.09, who is the national champion.

She is now ranked top in the world ahead of Rollison while another Kenyan, Gladys Jerotich Kipkemoi (9:47.26), Mekdes Bekele Tadese of Ethiopia (9:48.19) and Romania’s Acuta Bobocel (9:49.03) are in third fourth and fifth places respectively.

While winning the gold in Algeria, Bosibori also set a new time of 9:31.99. It was the first time the women’s steeplechase race was being held at the All-Africa Games.

Uganda's Dorcus Inzikuru, a gold medallist in the race in the 2005 Helsinki World Championship, did not travel to Algiers.
“This now gives me a bigger challenge to perform even better at the senior level. Having made it at the junior and continental platform, my focus now is on the Beijing Olympics,” she said.

Bosibori, born in Bosiango village near Kisii town is now leaving the legs to do the talking as she approaches a new season. Athletics Kenya chairman Isaiah Kiplagat who is also a member of the IAAF council handed her the medal in a small function at their secretariat.