Kenyans eye glory in Campaccio Cross Country

Hellen Obiri (left) leads Faith Chepng'etich during a past race. PHOTO | FILE |

What you need to know:

  • Several Kenyans including World Cross Country champion Agnes Tirop, and Olympic gold medallist Conseslus Kipruto and Faith Chepng’etich will race at Campaccio Cross Country on Friday in San Giorgio su Legnano, Italy.
  • Also set to race in Legnano are Olympic 5,000m silver medallist Hellen Obiri, who will be competing in her third race this season, Jairus Birech and Leonard Patrick Komon.
  • It will be Tirop’s second race of the season, having won the Boclassic 5km race in the Italian town of  Bolzano on New Year’s eve.

Several Kenyans including World Cross Country champion Agnes Tirop, and Olympic gold medallist Conseslus Kipruto and Faith Chepng’etich will race at Campaccio Cross Country on Friday in San Giorgio su Legnano, Italy.

Also set to race in Legnano are Olympic 5,000m silver medallist Hellen Obiri, who will be competing in her third race this season, Jairus Birech and Leonard Patrick Komon.

It will be Tirop’s second race of the season, having won the Boclassic 5km race in the Italian town of  Bolzano on New Year’s eve.

Kipruto will be opening his busy season after winning the Olympic 3,000m gold in August and 2016 Diamond League Trophy in September, while it will be Chepng’etich’s second race of the season, having finished second in the sixth leg of the Athletics Kenya Cross Country Series mid-December.

The Kenyan men will face the 2011 World Cross Country champion Imane Merga, who is also the defending champion, and former Campaccio winners Muktar Edris and Kenyan-born Albert Rop of Bahrain.

“I am all set for the season and this should open up my quest,” said Kipruto, the 2013 Moscow and 2015 Beijing World 3,000m silver medallist, who scaled the ladder to win in Rio with an Olympic record of 8:03.28.

“Even though it’s a bit cold but I have competed I such conditions before,” said the 2012 World U-20 champion, who consolidated his 2016 Diamond League Trophy with personal best of 8:00.12 in Birmingham. “My intentions is to run below 8 minutes besides focusing on winning the World title.”

Kipruto will be heading to United Kingdom for more cross country races.

Whether the Kenyans will turn the tables on Merga is left to be known but Kipruto said anything is possible. Mergia took a close win in last year’s race, edging Hasin Haji in a thrilling final sprint.

Merga achieved another top-three placing in 2014 when he was third behind Rop, who also returns to San Giorgio Su Legnano this year.

Rop, the first runner from Bahrain to win in San Giorgio su Legnano, finished seventh in the 5,000m at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Edris, who won two IAAF Diamond League races over 5,000m last year, showed good shape on New Year’s eve when he won the Boclassic 10km road race in Bolzano, beating Merga by two seconds as Birech finished third last Saturday in the Boclassic 10km race.

Komon, the 2006 World Cross silver medallist, who holds the 10km and 15km world records, will be returning to San Giorgia su Legnano, having finished second in 2011.

Chepng’etich’s main opponents will be Obiri and Tirop. It’s Obiri, who beat Chepng’etich to second place in Machakos, also having won the first leg of the Kenyan Series in Nairobi in November.

Chepng’etich, the World 1500m silver medallist won two World Junior cross titles and has twice won at the Cinque Mulini race in the neighbouring town of San Vittore Olona. Last year she also won the Cross de Italica race in Seville.