Top hurdlers to miss AK Relay Series
What you need to know:
- Bett, who is the reigning World champion and Mucheru, the Olympic silver medallist, will leave the leave the country Saturday night for further specialised training in the Dominican Republic.
- They will be accompanied by Koech, who is the national champion.
Kenya’s 400m hurdlers Nicholas Bett, Boniface Mucheru and Harun Koech will miss the third leg of Athletics Kenya Relays Series planned for on Saturday at Kenya Prisons grounds, Nairobi West.
Bett, who is the reigning World champion and Mucheru, the Olympic silver medallist, will leave the leave the country Saturday night for further specialised training in the Dominican Republic. They will be accompanied by Koech, who is the national champion.
Mucheru, who is also the Africa 400m hurdles champion, disclosed on Friday that they will be away at Dominican Republic for one month under their coach and two times Olympic 400m hurdles champion Felix Sanchez.
Sanchez was in the country for two weeks in January where he trained the athletes with a view to having a three-horse Kenyan assault at the World Championships due August 4-13 this year in London.
Mucheru indicated that as much as they would have loved to represent the country at the World Relays planned for May 22-23 in Nassau, Bahamas, the restriction imposed by AK will not allow them.
“AK directed that any athlete aspiring to make the team for Bahamas must take part in three of the five events in the series but we haven’t taken part in one. It will be useless to compete in one then I leave for the Dominican Republic,” said Mucheru.
Sanchez said during his visit that he was determined to have all the three Kenyan athletes making it to the London World Championships.
Sanchez has been engaged by Finn athletes’ manager Jukka Harkonnen of Jukka Harkonnen Sports Management to help prepare the three Kenyans.
Vincent Mumo, who has been handling the three athletes locally, said the outing in the Dominican Republic will broaden the Kenyan athletes’ scope skill wise.
However, the third relay meeting today has still drawn top cream with the likes of World 1,500m silver medallist Elijah Manangoi, who posted the fastest time of 1:48.5 in 800m last weekend, returning to the course.
Others are World Under-20 800m champion Kipyegon Bett, 2016 Diamond League Series 800m winner Ferguson Rotich, National 400m champion Alphas Kishoyian and National 100m/ 200m champion Mike Mokamba.
