Kenyan runner rightfully declared race winner after mix up

Quickly · 2016-01-25T10:10:32+00:00

Kenyan rightfully declared winner of eventful MPI Generali Run The winners of each category along with Njoku (right) at the prize-giving ceremony of the MPI Generali Run 2016 in Kuala Lumpur. IT DID not matter that she would not gain anything by pointing out that another participant deserved to be in first place of the race, but Lyndsay Clarke did it anyway in the spirit of sportsmanship. The physical education teacher at International School @ ParkCity, Kuala Lumpur, who hails from Manchester, UK, magnanimously vacated the winner’s spot to Kenya’s Genevive Njoku as she knew that Njoku was ahead of her in the race. Yes, the MPI Generali Run 2016 introduced the Speedsters and Cruisers groups, which placed runners with similar abilities to start the race together for a safer and less congested route, but that was not enough for Njoku, the lead runner in the 12km Women’s Open. She was so quick that she caught up with runners from the earlier 5km flag-off, resulting in her missing the signage for her category; she ran an additional 2km before finishing in eighth place. “We had about 3km to go in the race and I was about 50 metres behind Njoku when she must have gotten lost in the congestion,” Clarke said. “It was difficult,” she said about her decision after consulting with the race organiser. MPI Generali director Tam Chiew Lin (left) congratulating Clarke after the race. “A race is about who’s the first to cross the line within the legal course. And rules are rules. “It could have been me, but we have all trained hard and we have raced hard here. Asked what made her vacate the top spot for Njoku, she said, “I think it’s because I’m a teacher and we teach sportsmanship, plus I ran a good race and I’m happy with my performance. “It is a good way to start the year and it is the 2016 Summer Olympics this year. Sportsmanship, why not?” Clarke added. MPI Generali chief executive officer Oliver Tan who finished his first ever run said it was exciting and changed his perspective on it. “Running has never really been on my routine. I do a lot of other sports but I think this is something I will start doing gradually. “The run is as much about healthy living and family along with my team of 400, from the head office and branches to agents and business partners,” Tan said. A young participant enjoying a bubble show after the race. On Clarke vacating the winner’s spot to Njoku, he said there were two ways to look at it. One, on the need to stay focused, because sometimes sportsmanship is lacking. “On the other hand, in a community run, it is always good to see this as it demonstrates good values to the younger ones,” he added. Some 5,000 participants started to trickle in from as early as 6am for the fifth edition of the run which started at Padang Merbok in Kuala Lumpur, The participants, dressed in bright orange T-shirts, covered the Bukit Tunku area as they made their way through their 5km, 9km and 12km routes. There was also a 3km Fun Walk for participants who wanted to exercise at a more leisurely pace. In addition to the run, MPI Generali’s corporate social responsibility effort, Project Good Deeds, managed to collect 267 pairs of used sports shoes and about 1,490 T-shirts for the benefit of orang asli communities. All the winners of the top spot categories were new faces except for 12km Women’s Veteran winner Sheela Samivellu, who was the winner in the 12km Women’s Open category in the 2013 edition of the event. THE TOP THREE WINNERS IN THE SIX COMPETITIVE CATEGORIES Category A: Men’s Open (12km) PositionNameGun Time Champion David Kibet00:37:09.75 1st Runner-UpRosnizam bin Rosli00:42:13.08 2nd Runner-UpSoh Wai Ching00:43:35.58 Category B: Men’s Veteran (12km) PositionNameGun Time ChampionShaharudin Hashim00:42:56.56 1st Runner-UpVadiveelu a/l Arumugam00:43:04.97 2nd Runner-UpLim Khon Seng, Casey00:45:08.41 Category C: Women’s Open (12km) PositionNameGun Time ChampionGenevive Njoku01:02:16.04 1st Runner-UpLyndsay Clarke00:47:19.15 2nd Runner-UpDanielle Nant00:53:40.45 Category D: Women’s Veteran (12km) PositionNameGun Time ChampionSheela a/p Samivellu00:46:14.55 1st Runner-UpJoanna Louise Dent00:50:59.66 2nd Runner-UpYasuko Hosotani00:53:49.78 Category E: Men’s (9km) PositionNameGun Time ChampionMurali a/l Muniandy00:33:27.14 1st Runner-UpHaithm Mukred Ghaleb Al Selwi00:34:16.21 2nd Runner-UpMuhammad Firdaus Abdul Rashid00:34:50.05 Category F: Women’s (9km) PositionNameGun Time ChampionClare McCulloch00:39:10.13 1st Runner-UpLoh Chooi Fern00:39:18.49 2nd Runner-UpManissha Arokiasamy00:41:00.94 ====================================================================This is the TRUEST definition of sportsmanship ==================================================================== Kenyan rightfully declared winner of eventful MPI Generali Run - Scoreboard | The Star Online

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Start date Jan 25, 2016

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Kenyan runner rightfully declared race winner after mix up

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