AK releases guidelines for World Championships trials
What you need to know:
- While most Kenyan athletes have attained the qualifying time in middle and long distance races, Kenya has only four sprinters, who have made it to Doha
- Kenya has four World champions and their status gives them an automatic place at the Doha event but Athletics Kenya insists they must participate at the national trials
- The deadline for qualifying for the Doha World Championships is this Friday
Athletes attaining the World Championships qualifying standards during the national trials next week at the Nyayo National Stadium won’t make it to the Doha event.
Athletics Kenya director for competitions Paul Mutwii clarified that the qualifying window for the World Championships planned from September 27 to October 6 has been closed.
However, Mutwii hastened that the trials that run from September 12 to 13 presents a good window for athletes especially sprinters to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
While most Kenyan athletes have attained the qualifying time in middle and long distance races, Kenya has only four sprinters, who have made it to Doha.
They are the women’s 400m duo of national record holder Hellen Syombua (51.09secs) and Africa Under-20 champion Mary Moraa. Others are national 400m champion Alphas Kishoyian (45.30) in 400m and Nicholas Kiprotich Chirchir (49.40) in 400m hurdles.
The deadline for qualifying for the Doha World Championships is this Friday.
Mutwii said the first three athletes across the finishing line during the national trials will make it to Doha adding that besides the standards set in time and distance, athletes must have met the International Association of Athletics Federation’s (IAAF’s) Athletes Integrity Unit (IAU) anti-doping requirements.
Mutwii explained that athletes hoping for selection must have undergone three out-of-competition and one in-competition doping tests before the trials date.
Notably, the three out-of-competition tests for both urine and blood must include at least one Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) test and one Erythropoietin (Epo) test. All such tests are to be conducted not less than three weeks apart and the results recorded in ADAMS.
Kenya has four World champions and their status gives them an automatic place at the Doha event but Athletics Kenya insists they must participate at the national trials.
The World champions are Conseslus Kipruto (3,000m steeplechase), Elijah Manang'oi (1,500m), Hellen Obiri (5,000m) and Faith Chepng'etich (1,500m).
More so, 3,000m steeplechase world record holder Beatrice Chepkoech has already sealed a place at the World event, having retained her Diamond League Series title with victory in Zurich on August 29 this year but she is expected at the trials.
Kipruto and Obiri will Friday be defending their respective Diamond League Series titles in Brussels in the last of the two Diamond League Series finals.
Athletics Kenya picked the men and women’s 10,000m teams during the National Championships held from August 20 to 22 at the Nyayo National Stadium.
The reigning World Under-20 10,000m champion Rhonex, Rogers Kwemoi, the 2016 World Under-20 10,000m title holder and experienced long distance runner Alex Oloitiptip, make the men’s team.
The 2015 World 10,000m silver medallist Geoffrey Kamworor won the national 10,000m title during the trials but had earlier opted out of Doha event.
Obiri, who is also the Olympic 5,000m silver medallist, World 10,00m bronze medallist Agnes Jebet and Japan-based Rosemary Wanjiru prevailed in the women’s race to ease through to Doha.
