Ashleigh Moolman from South Africa is the new African Road Cycling champion after winning the championships held in the country, where she claimed her fifth African title in the women’s road race.
Moolman led in the 104-kilometre race, which covered Uasin GIshu and Elgeyo Marakwet counties, winning the race in 3:7:50, followed by Eritrea’s Dawit Mengs, while Rwanda’s Dianne Ingabire came in third, with Kenya’s top finisher Monica Jelimo taking the 12th position.
Moolman said while the race was one of the most challenging, she loved the support she got from residents who lined up along the way to cheer them on, saying she was looking forward to the next championships to be held in Rwanda.
The President of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), David Lappartient, said he enjoyed the race and hoped that the next world champion would come from Africa.
Sports Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said the event, which was streamed live in 35 African countries, was an opportunity to not only market the county but, more importantly, to get more young people to take up cycling as a sport.
He said through the race, cycling had gained a footing in the country as a sport, saying he looked forward to the establishment of incubation and training centres where the youth can train so that in the coming years, Kenya will produce a champion in cycling.
He said the choice of North Rift and Iten in particular was right given that athletes world over come to Iten to train.
By Alice Wanjiru
