Top stars clash in battle for World Cross Country slots
What you need to know:
- Kenya will use the event to select its team for the World Cross Country Championships.
- The men and women’s 10km races has attracted the finest from the 16 Athletics Kenya regions and institutions with defending champions Geoffery Kamworor (Police) and Alice Aprot (Prisons) in the mix.
A breathtaking display is in the offing with teams set to unleash their stars for the newly introduced relays at the Lotto National Cross Country Championships at Uhuru Gardens on Saturday.
The focus will be on the battle of the disciplined forces featuring Kenya Police, Kenya Prisons and Kenya Defence Forces.
Nairobi and Central Rift regions are also set to join the mix in the championships that get under way at 8am.
Kenya will use the event to select its team for the World Cross Country Championships set for March 26 in Kampala, Uganda where Relays will feature for the first time.
The Kenya Police have a team of strong middle distance runners to select from, and they include World 1,500m champion Asbel Kiprop, World 800m bronze medallist Eunice Sum and Commonwealth Games 1,500m champion Abraham Kiplagat.
Also in Police team are Winfred Mbithe, who finished fourth in 1,500m at the 2016 World Under-20 Championships and Beatrice Chepkoech - fourth place finisher in 3,000m steeplechase at Rio Olympic Games.
Prisons team is also dotted with stars led by Olympic and World Indoor 800m bronze medallist Margaret Nyairera and Sylvia Chesebe, who won silver in medley race at the 2015 World Relays Championships.
Timothy Cheruiyot, who wound seventh in 1,500m at the 2015 World Championships, Mark Bett and Hosea Cheroyei also makes the Prisons team. Cheruiyot was also in the men’s team that won silver in medley race at the 2015 World Relays.
The 2015 World Relays medley silver medallist Selah Jepleting will spearhead KDF team of Nicholas Chesebe, Hellen Mateelong and Charles Simotwo.
World Under-20 1,500m bronze medallist Anthony Kiptoo will anchor the Nairobi Region team that has the World 1,500m silver medallist Elijah Manangoi’s brother George, Miriam Chepkemei and Hellen Ekalale.
STRONG CENTRAL RIFT TEAM
Upcoming 1,500m runner Jonathan Kitilit, Sylvia Lagat, Joshua Kipkoech and Faith Chepchumba form Central Rift relay team.
Only four athletes, two men and similar number of women, will form each team with each athlete covering two kilometres each before handing over the baton.
Athletics Kenya public relations officer Evan Bosire said they will select the best athletes for the relay races that will feature for the first time at the World Cross.
“Unlike the other four races where we shall select the first six athletes to cross the line, the relays will be different where a panel of selectors will decide,” said Bosire, who is also the team manager for the World Cross Country.
The men and women’s 10km races has attracted the finest from the 16 Athletics Kenya regions and institutions with defending champions Geoffery Kamworor (Police) and Alice Aprot (Prisons) in the mix.
Kamworor is the reigning World Cross Country champion and will be competing for the first time since Rio Olympic Games where he finished 11th in the 10,000m.
Aprot is the Africa Cross Country champion and also holds the African Games and Africa 10,000m titles. She finished fourth in 10,000m at Rio Olympics.
