Brimin Kiprop Kipruto of Kenya won his first Olympic title in men's 3,000-meter steeplechase to succeed Kenyan dominance in the combined event on Monday at the Beijing Olympic Games.

Kipruto, 23, finished in eight minutes and 10.34 seconds to win the champion which Kenyan runners have maintained since Los Angeles Games in 1984.

The Kenyan created his seasonal best result, however, he won by a tiny lead and nearly missed the gold medal in the close race. The silver medalist Frenchman Mahiedine Mekhissi-B. ran in eight minutes and 10.49 seconds.

"Now I am the Olympic champion. It's not easy, you need extra training and mental discipline," said Kipruto who won a silver medal in the race at Athens Games.

"I think my country is celebrating tonight that I won the Steeplechase," he said.

After the Los Angeles Games, Kenya had swept the top two medals in the race, Mekhissi-B. broke their straight winning at the Beijing Games by a personal best result.

"I'm proud to be representing France. I have trained hard for this. I really believed in myself and what I could do, and that's why I've won the Silver," Mekhissi-B. said. "It's something I've worked on and today it obviously worked."

The 23-year-old Frenchman said he was proud to be at this age with the achievement, adding that his Olympic career "has just started".

Kenya's Richard Kipkemboi Mateelong won the bronze medal by a run of eight minutes and 11.01 seconds.

The defending champion, Kenya's Ezekiel Kembol, only achieved the seventh place.

"The last three laps were the hardest, because the race was fast. Everyone wanted one of the top three positions," said Mateelong.

The Frenchman obviously had shocked the Kenyans. Both Kipruto and Mateelong said they did not know him. "I was surprised of the silver medalist, because I've never seen him before. I've never raced him. But I know his colleague," said Mateelong.

(Xinhua News Agency August 18, 2008)