NAIROBI, Kenya, August 23- Kenya’s search for a first medal at the second Youth Olympic Games will spill to Sunday after Ian Mutuku finished fourth in Saturday’s men’s 400m final in Nanjing, China.
Mutuku who stormed the finals after booking the second automatic spot in the semis, clocked 47.08 while Jamaican Martin Manley won gold in 46.31 ahead of Botswana’s Sibanda Karabo who bagged silver in his personal best of 46.76.
Henri Delauze from Bahrain settled for bronze after running his personal best of 46.91.
Agnes Mulee failed to show up at the call room in the women’s 800m final B in a race that was won Bermuda’s Faheemah Scraders in 2:10.66.
However, Kenya will chase four golds on Sunday with Jackline Chepkoech seeking to retain the country’s women 3000m title that was won by Gladys Chesir in 2010.
Chepkoech who set her personal best of 9:08.54 to qualify automatically after finishing fourth in the semis, face stiff challenge from Baharanian Fatuma Chebsi, Ethiopian Asgedom Berhan, Burundian Nahimana Cavaline and Japanese Takamatsu Musembi who all beat her in the semis.
Moses Koech will fly the nation’s flag in the men’s final after crossing the line second in 8:06.50, behind Ethiopian Atomsa Yomif and Spaniard Torrents Jordi in the semis.
Gilbert Kwemoi who dominated the men’s 1500m semis, will also be in action while Maureen Nyatichi will be seeking to become the first Kenyan to win a medal in the women’s 200.
At the 2010 edition in Singapore, Kenya collected six medals, three gold and equivalent number of bronze.
