Youngsters begin title defence in Barcelona
Season’s fastest junior runner Geoffrey Kipkorir Kirui gets Kenya’s title defence on course when the World Junior Championships get under way on Tuesday in Barcelona, Spain.
Kirui will have to justify his inclusion in the team after he was given a wild card in the 10,000m after the national junior trials in June.
Kirui, who finished fifth during the national Olympic Games trials for men’s 10,000m on June 2 in Eugene, USA, will team up with Philemon Cheboi in the last race of the day at 10pm (Kenyan time).
Kirui and Cheboi have the onus of capturing the crown won by Dennis Chepkongin Masai during the 2010 event held in Moncton, Canada. Kirui clocked 27:08.44 in Eugene, which is still a world junior time lead this year.
Kenya won the overall title in Moncton with a total of 15 medals, seven gold, four silver and four bronze, beating USA (6-6-3) and Russia (5-2-2) respectively.
Consequently, Mercy Chepwogen and Brillian Jepkorir Kipkoech are under pressure to deliver the 3,000m title and follow the footsteps of the 2010 queen Mercy Cherono.
Their race guns off at 9am. Cherono took her second consecutive World Junior crown in Moncton, making her the first woman to achieve the feat as World Junior champion over the distance.
The 2010 World Junior champion Caleb Mwangangi will be watching keenly to see whether Dominic Mutuku and Hillary Cheruiyot will do him and the nation proud in the metric mile race.
