Kenyans seek the spark in Doha
PHOTO | FILE World 800m champion Eunice Sum (right) leads former World champion Janeth Jepkosgei in the women’s 1,500m during the Athletics Kenya relays series at Nyayo stadium on April 26. Both are in Doha for the opening leg of the Diamond League on May 9, 2014.
What you need to know:
- Rudisha’s absence leaves Ethiopian youngster Aman as favourite to win in 800m
- The athletes will be using the event, which marks the beginning of the track and field season, as a final dress rehearsal for the May 24-25 inaugural World Relays Championships in Bahamas.
DOHA
Kenya’s elite athletes landed in Qatar Tuesday for Friday’s Doha Diamond League meeting at the Qatar Sports Club.
The athletes will be using the event, which marks the beginning of the track and field season, as a final dress rehearsal for the May 24-25 inaugural World Relays Championships in Bahamas.
Current and past World 800m champions Eunice Sum and Janeth Jepkosgei, who are in Kenya’s 4x800m team to Bahamas, are among top Kenyan athletes in Doha.
Hellen Obiri, Mercy Cherono and Viola Kibiwott are also expected to challenge the youngest of the Dibaba siblings in the 3,000m race.
With two indoor world records in the 1,500m and 3,000m under her belt along with the World Indoor Championships 3,000m gold, Ethiopian Genzebe Dibaba is favourite this season over the distance.
Dibaba, this year’s middle distance sensation, alongside Jamaica’s triple Olympic sprints champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, are the poster girls in Doha, the first in the annual, 14-leg series.
A mouth-watering steeplechase showdown is also on offer with current and former Olympic champions Ezekiel Kemboi and Brimin Kipruto sharing the same stage with course record holder Paul Kipsiele Koech (7:54.31).
However, the absence of Kenya’s 800m Olympic champion and world record holder David Rudisha leaves Ethiopia’s pretender to the throne Mohammed Aman hogging all the headlines here, the same way he did in Moscow last summer when he won gold at the IAAF World Championships in the absence of an injured Rudisha.
STRAINED CALF MUSCLE
Rudisha has been knocking himself into shape but suffered a major setback in his comeback plans last week when he missed what would have been his first competitive appearance on the track in over a year at last week’s Athletics Kenya Mumias meet with a strained calf muscle.
His manager James Templeton felt it was not wise to risk another injury and decided to withdraw Rudisha for the Doha event. He said Rudisha will return on May 31 in Eugene, Oregon, at the second IAAF Diamond League meeting.
“He has been training well; progressively getting fitter and stronger these last months and was excited about returning to competition in Doha. It’s been on his agenda and he’s been building towards that. However he had a setback last week in training - a strained calf muscle as he was training - that precluded him from competing in the AK meeting in Mumias on Friday,” Templeton said.
Rudisha has a cult-like following in Doha that prompted him to apologise for his withdrawal. “I’m disappointed not to be able to race in Doha on Friday. I know I’ve got a lot of fans there and I’m sorry I cannot compete for them,” Rudisha said last week.
