Matthew Kisorio leads Chiba Ekiden team

Matthew Kisorio crosses the finish line to win the UAP Ndakaini Half Marathon on September 13, 2014 in Ndakaini. Kisorio will lead Kenya’s title defence at the Chiba Ekiden International Relay Race Monday in Japan. PHOTO | CHRIS OMOLLO | NATION

What you need to know:

  • Kisorio will team up with Amos Kiprono Kaptich, Henry Sang, Mercy Kibarus and Maureen Mutindi Muthiani as they battle over a six-stage, 42.195 course that alternates men’s and women’s stages.
  • Russia looks to be the stronger of the two, featuring Chiba veterans Yevgeny and Anatoly Rybakov and four women with 5000 m bests under 15:30 led by Natalya Popkova in 15:05.95.

Matthew Kisorio will lead Kenya’s title defence at the Chiba Ekiden International Relay Race Monday in Japan.

Kenya will be chasing their fourth straight title against the 11 competing nations as well as better their championship’s course record of 2:03:59 set last year.

Even though Kisorio has competed in several races since completing his drug suspension in July, it will be the first time he is donning the national colours since the 2011 World Cross Country Championships in Spain where he finished fourth in senior men’s 12km race, guiding Kenya to team gold.

Kisorio will team up with Amos Kiprono Kaptich, Henry Sang, Mercy Kibarus and Maureen Mutindi Muthiani as they battle over a six-stage, 42.195 course that alternates men’s and women’s stages.

The men will contest stage one over 5km, stage three over 10km and the fifth stage over 10km while the women will run stage two and four, with both legs 5km, and the sixth and final stage over 7.195km.

“It feels great to once again run for my country and I thank God for the honour,” said Kisorio, who won the Oginga Odinga 10km, Ndakaini Half Marathon and Family Bank Half Marathon before finishing third at Geothermal Half Marathon.

TEAM KENYA

“Everything on doping is now behind me and my focus is to help Team Kenya retain the Chiba Ekiden for the fourth year in a row,” said Kisorio, who captained Kenya team for the 2008 World Junior Championships in Poland where he won silver in 5,000m.

Kisorio, a month ago, finished third at the Valencia Half Marathon with a time of 59.50, conceding first and second place to Abraham Cherono and Kenneth Kipkemoi.

On paper at least seven teams have a shot at beating the three times champions Kenya.

The last team to beat Kenya was the Japanese University Team in 2010, and this year’s JUT is just as strong. But the Japanese National Team will have something to say about. Not having won Chiba since 2009, after a runner-up finish last year, Japan this year brings in the country’s top two university men, identical twins Kenta and Kota Murayama of Komazawa and Josai universities, to prop up its corporate lineup.

Besides JUT and Japan, Kenya should also brace up for Russia, who finished third last year, and the United States of America.

Russia looks to be the stronger of the two, featuring Chiba veterans Yevgeny and Anatoly Rybakov and four women with 5000 m bests under 15:30 led by Natalya Popkova in 15:05.95.

The American men’s team is solid, with sub-28 men Girma Mecheso and Christo Landry, but the USA falters somewhat on the women’s side with only one woman, Katie Matthews, under 15:45. A repeat of last year’s 5th-place finish looks possible.

It’s World Cross Cross champion Emily Chebet, who anchored Kenya to victory in the 2013 Chiba International Ekiden in a course record of 2:03:59.

The feat eclipsed the previous record of 2:04:40 by another Kenyan squad in 2011 and, in contrast to the past two years, Kenya dominated the race from gun to tape.