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Three-time Africa walking champion Samuel Gathimba won a historic bronze in the men’s 20km at the World Athletics Walk Racing Team Championships in Muscat, Oman, on Saturday.

 The veteran race walker also secured Kenya’’s first ever medal at the event. He timed 1:23.52, a season’s best.

Gathimba, who now boasts of seven medals on the international scene including  gold at the African Championships in 2016 and 2018, came third behind Japanese duo Toshikazu Yamanishi na Li Maocuo who took gold and silver respectively.

 The victory was a sweet occasion for Gathimba who was last year excluded from the final entries for the Tokyo Olympic Games.

 It’s very disappointing. We were not told about the ranking. We walked our way to beat the Tokyo Olympics Standards and that is what we know. The rest of the reasons are just stories. Let AK explain why they didn’t forward our names,” Gathimba had then said.

 Good sign

The 34-year-old Gathimba , who clinched bronze during the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, took to the roads for the 20km race a day after World Under-20 10,000m champion Heristone Wanyonyi finished fourth in 10km in a new national Under-20 record of 45:10 minutes.

“This is a sign of good things to come, I am particularly happy with this victory here, I want to use it to push myself to do better,” said Gathimba.

 Simon Wachira (1:30:17) finished 33rd while 2017 World Under-18 10,000m bronze medallist Dominic Ndigiti (1:35.42) placed 43rd in that race.

 Africa and African Games 20km champion Emily Ngii who registered a season’s best of 1:42.39 to place 19th in the women’s 20km on Saturday morning.