Kenya kept the ace at the ongoing World Athletics Championships yesterday when Hyvin Kiyeng won a gold medal at the 3000m steeplechase event.

The African Games champion won Kenya its sixth gold medal at the World Championships when she blew away the 3,000m steeplechase field in 9 minutes 19.11 seconds on Wednesday.

Hyvin Kiyeng, the 2012 Africa bronze medallist, staged a powerful charge at the homestretch to beat Tunisian Habiba Ghribi to silver in 9:19.24 as Felicistas Krause bagged bronze in 9:19.25.

Two other Kenyans, Virginia Nyambura (9:26.21) and Rosefline Chepng'etich (9:46.08), finished seventh and 15th, respectively.

It was a great victory for Kiyeng, who was making her second appearance at the Worlds after she was placed sixth with a personal best of 9:22.05 at the 2013 Moscow Worlds.

Kiyeng, 23, won the Kenyan World Championships trials in the absence of World champion Milcah Chemos, who is recovering from a back injury.

Chemos handed Kenya its maiden world title in 2013 Moscow in 9:11.65 as compatriot Lydia Chepkurui settled for silver in 9:12.55.

Kiyeng has been in good form this season, improving her personal best by almost seven seconds when she won in Rome in a meeting record 9:15.08 on June 4, defeating both Nyambura and Ethiopian Hiwot Ayalew. Kiyeng finished second to Ghribi in Monaco, but improved her personal best to 9:12.51 on July 17 this year.