Saoli and Njeru Sweep Kenya’s Double at Mountain Running World Cup in China

The Silver Pagoda Forest in Beijing belonged to Kenya on Sunday.

Michael Selelo Saoli led from the front and never gave the field a chance, crossing in 1:25:49 to claim the men’s title at the WMRA Mountain Running World Cup in Beijing’s Changping district. Italy’s Isacco Costa finished second, with Saoli’s compatriot Paul Machoka rounding out the podium.

Joyce Muthoni Njeru was equally dominant in the women’s race, finishing in 1:40:33 to complete a clean Kenyan sweep of the day’s top prizes.

It continued what has been a dominant mountain running season. Saoli had already won the season opener in Portugal — and this double-header in China has only reinforced Kenya’s grip on the discipline heading into the summer.