You can take this to the bank: Kenya will crowd podium in all races

You cannot preview the World Cross Country Championships without mentioning Kenya as favourites to crowd the podium in all the four races, again.

And so the case will be on Saturday at the 2015 event in Guiyang, China, that will be contested by 51 countries on a 2km loop course set in and around a horse racing circuit located in a mountainous and heavily forested area about 30km from the city.

The senior men’s 12km looks to be a straight battle between Kenya and the rest, read Ethiopia and Uganda.

For a country that can afford to drop Japhet Korir, who won the 2013 championship in Bydgoszcz, Poland, because he was not up to scratch against his in form compatriots, it would be easy to make predictions.

The IAAF official website in fact singled out two-time Kenya champion Bedan Karoki as one of the men to watch.

Karoki beat Geoffrey Kipsang, who many consider as the legitimate title contender.

Karoki is certainly faster than Kipsang over 5,000m and even 10,000m with a personal best of 7:37.68 and 26:52.36 respectively compared to the corresponding 7:54.15 and 27:06.35 for his compatriot.

Karoki showed his pace when he edged out the more illustrious Kipsang by a good 5.4 seconds at national trials at Uhuru Gardens with a decisive burst at the home stretch.

But Kipsang, a proven sub 2hrs 7 minutes marathon runner, has come into the championship in strong form and with history on his side.

He won the 2011 cross country junior title and his numerous half marathon wins show he can take any punishing pace and course in the shorter 12km race. Does he consider Karoki his main rival?

“I am looking forward to doing well here. The weather is fine and the course looks interesting. This is a world championship and it is not just Karoki the one for me to watch but the rest of the runners.

“We will utilise a strategy to win the gold,” Kipsang said at the impressive Guiyang Olympic Centre during a press conference where he and compatriot Emily Chebet were the star attractions.

Reigning African cross country champion Leonard Barsoton, who finished third at the national trials, will also be eyeing glory.

The youngster, a junior men’s silver medalist in Bydgoszcz, could very well be the dark horse.

Add Moses Mukono, Philip Lagat and Joseph Kiptum, fourth, fifth and sixth respectively at the national trials and you have an able support cast for Team Kenya. And they too will be thinking, why not go for the title?

RELISHING THE CHALLENGE

Kenya head coach David Leting has refused to show his hand on who he tips to conquer in Guiyang. “We are a team of 24 and we are ready as a team and will run as a team,” he said.

The championship has a way of throwing up unexpected winners as was the case in 2013 when teenager Korir triumphed and in 2007 when Mombasa hosted the showpiece expecting unbeaten Kenenisa Bekele to walk all over everyone else including the Kenyans only for Eritrean Zersanay Tadese to steal the title from under everyone’s nose.

Rivals Uganda have been dealt a big blow by the abrupt pull out of their star runner Moses Kipsiro but can look to up and coming Phillip Kipyeko, the national champion, while Ethiopia’s reigning champion Tamirat Tola could spring a surprise.

There is also whisper of an American challenge from Chris Derrick, the reigning national champion and team silver medalist at the 2013 world event.

“My fitness is good, my confidence high and I am hoping to test myself against a strong field. To get another medal would be very good. We want to compete,” he said in Guiyang, clearly relishing the challenge.

But history will be heavily stacked against him and other challengers.

Conditions are expected to be cool to warm today in this beautiful green city that has enthusiastically embraced the event but the competition will be searing hot on a course normally used for horse racing.

The junior 8km men’s race looks likely to go down to a battle between Kenya and Ethiopia.