AK set to name teams for indoor and half marathon events

What you need to know:

  • While Kamworor, who is also the World Cross Country champion and World 10,000m silver medallist will be defending his men’s title, Cherono has opted to prepare for the London Marathon scheduled for April 26.
  • Mutwii said the marathon team for the Rio Olympic Games will be shortlisted after the London Marathon due April 24.

The Kenya teams for the World Indoor Championships and World Half Marathon Championships will be named on Wednesday next week.

Athletics Kenya vice president in charge of competitions Paul Mutwii said the selection will be done during the competition committee meeting a day before the team is officially named.

The World Indoor Championships go down March 17 to 20 in Portland, Oregon, USA while the World Half Marathon will be held March 26 in Cardiff, Wales.

Kenya won only two medals at the 2014 World Indoor Championships held in Sopot, Poland. Already, World Indoor 3,000m champion Caleb Mwangangi has expressed his desire to defend his title.

Helen Obiri, who was then the defending champion, was forced to settle for silver in women’s 3,000m. She won’t be travelling for Oregon as she is on maternity break. Kenya claimed both men and women’s titles during the 2014 World Half Marathon staged in Copenhagen with Geoffrey Kamworor and Gladys Cherono taking the honours.

While Kamworor, who is also the World Cross Country champion and World 10,000m silver medallist will be defending his men’s title, Cherono has opted to prepare for the London Marathon scheduled for April 26.

Kamworor set his personal best of 58.54 when he won the 2013 Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon as he missed the course record by just two seconds. He retained his Kenya Police Service Cross Country title last weekend.

“I am determined to defend my title before focusing on winning Olympic gold in 10,000m,” said Kamworor whose next race is the Dicsovery Cross Country on January 31 in Eldoret.

World Cross Country silver medallist Bedan Karoki has also expressed his interest for the World Half Marathon. It’s at the 2014 Copenhagen Half Marathon where Karoki set his personal best of 59.14.

Karoki, who finished fourth at the World Championships last year, will open his season at the Discovery Cross Country event.

“We hope to name strong teams for the two events,” said Mutwii. “We shall consider defending champions as so long as they are in great shape.”

Mutwii said the marathon team for the Rio Olympic Games will be shortlisted after the London Marathon due April 24. Besides Cherono, who won last year’s Berlin Marathon, other top Kenyan women seeking a place in Rio team will field in London. They are the 2012 London Olympics marathon silver medallist Priscah Jeptoo, New York City Marathon Mary Keitany, Chicago Marathon champion Florence Kiplagat and two-time former world champion Edna Kiplagat.