World to wait longer for Mwangangi, Farah collision

The world will have wait a little longer to witness a collision between Commonwealth Games and Africa 5,000m champion Caleb Mwangangi and double Olympic and World champion Mo Farah after the two were put apart in the 2014 IAAF Continental Cup due September 13-14 in Marrakech, Morocco.

The two stars, who are considered at the hottest over the distance in the world at the moment, will feature in different races for their continents in the athletics World Cup.

Mwangangi, fresh from winning the 5,000m overall title in 2014 Diamond League Series with victory in Zurich last week, has been drawn in the 3,000m race while Farah, who missed the Glasgow Commonwealth Games due to illness, will compete in the 5,000m race.

Mwangangi, the 2014 World Indoor 3,000m winner, will team up with Eritrean Abarar Osman Adem, who won 5,000m bronze at Africa Championships for the 3,000m race.

KIPLAGAT, FARAH FACE-OFF

Farah will now face World 5,000m bronze medallist - Kenya’s Isaiah Kiplangat - who won silver at the Africa event and African 10,000m champion Amlosom Tesfalset Nguse from Eritrea in the 5,000m fray.

Also in the 5,000m race is Kenyan-born American champion Bernard Langat, who won a double in 3,000m and 5,000m during the 2010 Continental Cup that is popularly known as the World Cup.

Mwangangi and Farah faced-off last at Monaco last year but in the 1,500m race in a race won by World 1,500m champion Asbel Kiprop in 3:27.72 with Farah coming in second in area record time of 3:28.81. Mwangangi settled third in personal best of 3:29.50.

Kenya and Ethiopia are the only regional countries that have athletes in at the 2014 IAAF Continental Cup.

Africa 400m bronze medallist Boniface Mucheru, who finished fifth in 400m hurdles during the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, has been shortlisted in the 4x400m Africa team. He will team up with Isaac Makwala from Botswana, South Africa’s Wayde van Niekerk and Saviour Kombe from Zambia. Larbi Bourrada is a reserve.

KIPROP SET TO ROAR

Makwala won the Africa title in Marrakech in a Championship Record time of 44.23 beating van Niekerk and Mucheru to silver and bronze in 45.00 and 45.07 respectively.

Makwala would then anchor his team to Africa 4x400m victory where Mucheru’s Kenyan team settled for bronze with Nigeria going for silver.

World 1,500m champion Asbel Kiprop, who settled for silver at the Africa Championships, will team up with Africa and World Indoor 1,500m champion Ayanleh Souleiman from Djibouti in the metric mile race.

Africa champion and 2014 Diamond League Series 3,000m steeplechase leader Jairus Birech teams up with Ethiopian Chala Beyo Techo, who finished fourth at the Africa event.

Commonwealth Games and Africa champion Julius Yego will spearhead Africa’s assault in javelin throw alongside former Africa champion Ihab Abdelrahman from Egypt.

FOUR WOMEN ATHLETES

Kenya has only four women athletes in the Africa team that is dominated by Kenya and Ethiopians in middle and long distance races. They include the Africa and Commonwealth Games champions Eunice Sum (800m) and Joyce Chepkirui (10,000m).

Sum, who is also the World champion and currently the Diamond League Series leader, has Ethiopian Assefa Tigst Tessema in women’s 800m while Chepkirui will now battle in 5,000m race alongside Africa 5,000m champion Almaz Ayana from Ethiopia.

World 1,500m bronze medallist Hellen Obiri, who won the Africa title, has Ethiopian Dawit Seyaum in the metric mile race.

Kenya’s Janet Kisa, who won silver in 5,000m at the Commonwealth Games before settling for bronze at the Africa Championships, will team up with World Indoor 3,000m champion, Genzebe Dibaba from Ethiopia.

Athletics Kenya vice president David Okeyo, who serves in the same capacity at CAA, said Kenyan coach Gideon Chirchir will accompany the Kenyan athletes to Marrakech.