AK sounds overage warning
Nelly Chebet runs in the 4x400m relay for her Riruta Satellite Secondary School during the Nairobi Secondary Schools Sports Association provincials finals at Nyayo Stadium last month. Chebet will be among the top draws at Tuesday’s trials at Nyayo Stadium to pick a team for the Africa and world youth championships. Photo/CHRIS OMOLLO
What you need to know:
- Athletes must prove their age to compete in Tuesday’s youth contest
Athletics Kenya (AK) has warned that disciplinary action would be taken against any coach who presents overage athletes at Tuesday’s trial for the World Youth and Africa Junior Championships.
AK public relations officer Peter Angwenyi said documents that prove an athletes’ age will be mandatory during the one-day event to be staged at Nyayo National Stadium.
Speaking at Riadha House – the headquarters of the federation – Angwenyi said athletes will be required to produce legal documents like identity cards, passports or birth certificates before being allowed to compete.
A team to the 6th edition of the WYC in the Italian town of Bressanone from July 8 to 12 and the Africa Junior championships in Mauritius will be picked at the championship.
A youth athlete has to have been born in 1992 or 1993 or be aged 16 or 17 years at the end of December this year, according to IAAF rules. Juniors are those born in 1990 or 1991.
AK are relying on teachers at Tuesday’s event, said Angwenyi: “We will rely on teachers since the bulk of the athletes in the youth and junior categories are in school.”
Schools’ coaches have already picked a team from the national primary and secondary schools athletics championships held recently in Bungoma and Eldoret, respectively. The athletes have been camping at Chief Koinange Secondary in Kiambu in preparation for today’s trials.
On Monday, coaches were registering runners who are not in school but fall within the youth or junior age bracket for Tuesday’s event.
They included Nyahururu-based Francis Kamau of Mfae Athletics Club and Francis Kamau of Esmi. Some of the athletes were in the Kenya team in the East African Youth championships in Ethiopia.
Strong team
Kenya hopes to send a strong team to Italy in a bid to reclaim the overall title, which it won in the first edition of the games in Bydgoszcz, Poland, in 1999. USA have since held the title.
Nelly Chebet, 5th at the World Cross Country championship in Amman, Jordan, is expected to run in the 1,500m race today. Her Amman team mates Jackline Chebii, Jackline Chepng’eno and Delvine Meringor, who are expected in the 3,000m race, the longest in the championships.
Japheth Korir, fifth in Amman, is the only runner from the World Cross squad who qualifies to run on Tuesday.
