Showdown in sprints looms large at trials

The countdown to the Africa Championships and Rio Olympic Games proper begins on Thursday when some of Kenya’s finest brush shoulders at this year’s Safaricom Kenya Athletics Championships at Kasarani.

Some elite athletes could be missing in action at the three-day event but the field still remains rich with the possibility of national records going down especially in sprints where many are eying qualifying times for Africa and Rio events.

Most of Kenya’s elite athletes in middle and long distances races are in USA for the Prefontaine Classic, the fourth leg of the 2016 Diamond League Series.

Athletics Kenya (AK) will use the national event to select the team for the Africa Championships due on June 21 to26 in Durban, South Africa. The continental fray will be important for African countries who will be gauging their athletes ahead of the Rio Summer Games planned for August 6 to 21.

AK public relations officer Evans Bosire indicated that even though the first two athletes across the line make the team for the continental competition, they will still consider selecting those taking part at the Prefontaine Classic.

Five national records were broken last year but three of them were expunged after those involved Joyce Sakari and Francisca Koki failed dope tests during the Beijing World Championships last year.

Kenya Defence Forces’ Mike Mokamba, who dashed to victory in 200m in 20.48 during the Worlds trials to qualify for both the World Championships and Rio Olympics will be eying the 100m Olympics qualifying time.

He is the only athlete alongside Calvin Nkanata to qualify for Rio in 200m.

Sprint events will be the highlight of the championships.

An enticing clash looms between Mokamba and teammate and former national champion Emmanuel Letukunye, fast-rising regional youth champion Moffat Ngari from Central,  Brian Gitura from Police, Western’s Boniface Kagai and Central Rift’s top sprinter Laban Simotwo.