Doha Worlds team starts training at Kasarani

Kenya’s team to the IAAF World Championships launches its residential training camp at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, on Sunday.

Athletics Kenya senior vice president Paul Mutwii said the athletes are required to assemble at Riadha House at mid-day on Sunday before proceeding to Kasarani for the start of the team’s training.

The World Championships will be held in the Qatari capital from September 27 to October 6.

Women’s marathon runners will be the first to leave for Doha on September 22 while the men’s marathon team on September 27.

The track and field athletes will depart on September 24 hence they will have only nine days to train before heading to Doha.

“We have no much time left and that is why they must all report at Riadha House and Kasarani,” said Mutwii.

AIU REGULATIONS

Mutwii noted that the fate of the 5,000m athletes Michael Kibet and Daniel Simiyu, who finished first and second, respectively, during the trials will be known on Monday when a response from Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) is expected.

The two athletes, among others who had qualified for the Doha championships, were locked out after failing to fulfill some of the AIU requirements, especially in respect to anti-doping.

The regulations require those hoping to compete at the World Championships to have undergone three out-of-competition and one in-competition doping tests.

Notably, the three out-of-competition 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 Anti-Doping Administration and Management System (ADAMS).

Mutwii had indicated that they had written to the AIU explaining that Kibet and Simiyu just came to the limelight recently hence were not part of the AIU testing pool.

Mutwii said they invoked Rule 15 of IAAF which provides a window for such situations where unknown athlete, or talent, crops up and isn't in the AIU testing pool.

Kenya will be hoping to improve on medal tally from the 2017 World Championships in London where the country won 11 medals - five gold, two silver and four bronze - to finish second in the medal standings.

The team's performance in London was fairly good, considering that Kenya topped the medal standings for the first time at the 2015 championship in Beijing with seven gold medals, six silver and three bronze medals.