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Ndiku vows to bring back men's 5,000m titles to Kenya

Xinhua, June 6, 2015 Adjust font size:

Kenya's Commonwealth and Africa 5,000m champion, Caleb Mwangangi Ndiku, has vowed to bring back the 5,000m world and Olympic titles to his country.

Ndiku had a very impressive season in 2014 during which he won the World Indoor Championships in 3,000m, Commonwealth Games, African Championships, Diamond League 5,000m titles, and the Continental Cup 3,000m crown.

"The buffalo is in the forest and is soon coming out. I intend to bring back the 5,000m crown to Kenya where it belongs after it was snatched from us by Ethiopian runners and presently Mo Farah of Britain," the self-proclaimed "Buffalo" said Friday evening in Nairobi during the occasion to reward 2014 achievers by the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK).

The 23-year-old said he hopes to win the 5,000m world title during the World Championships in Athletics scheduled for August in Beijing and the Olympic Games gold medal in Rio next year to cap his stunning athletics career.

"Those are the only gold medals missing in my closet, which I intend to achieve after which the 'Buffalo' will recede to the forest in retirement from where he will reign supreme," he said.

Kenya last won world or Olympic 5,000m titles in 2001 when Benjamin Limo took the gold medal in the event during the World Championships in Athletics held in Helsinki.

Since then, the 5,000m event has eluded Kenyan men after being dominated by the Ethiopian brigade led by Kenenisa Bekele, and lately Mo Farah of Britain.

Ndiku began his career in domestic cross country running competitions in 2009 and won the junior world cross country title in 2010 in Bydgoszcz.

Ndiku took his second title of the year at the 2010 World Junior Championships in Athletics, where he ran a personal best of 3:37.30 minutes to win the 1,500m world junior crown, after which he began competing in senior competitions in 2012. Endi