Wild card for Obiri as all set for Commonwealth Games’ trials

World 5,000 metres champion Hellen Obiri is the only athlete who has been given a wild card entry to the Commonwealth Games to be held in Gold Coast, Australia, from April 4 to 15.

Athletics Kenya President Jackson Tuwei on Thursday said the rest of the athletes will battle it out during the “Club” Games trials that get underway today at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani.

Tuwei said the trials start with the decathlon event today at 11am while the rest of the events will take place on Saturday.

He indicated that save for the women’s 5,000m where the first two across the line automatically qualify, the rest of the events from middle and long distance races and some sprint and field events will feature the 1-2-3 criteria. Tuwei said Obiri, who is expected to make the World Indoor Championships team where she hopes to reclaim her 3,000m title, is the only athlete who had requested for exemption from the “Club” Games trials.

The World Indoor Championships run from March 1-4 in Birmingham, England.

Obiri was due to compete last night in 1,500m at the ‘Copernicus Cup’ in Torun, Poland, the fifth leg of the 2018 World Indoor Tour.

“Our panel of coaches will decide other races where they will deem wise to issue a wild card but so far we have none save for Obiri, who requested to be exempted from the trials” said Tuwei.

Obiri, the Rio Olympic Games 5,000m silver medallist, won the 2012 World Indoor 3,000m title but lost it to Genzebe Dibaba in 2014 Sopot where she settled for silver.

Kenya intends to pick a team of 65 athletes; 36 men and 29 women for the Gold Coast “Club” Games.

Kenya has been located three places in both men and women’s 800m, 1,500m, 5,000m and 10,000m. The country has three to one allocation in some sprint and field events.

Kenya has been allocated two slots in men’s 110 hurdles where there will be no representation in women’s 110 hurdles.

 The country will have two representatives each in men and women’s 200m while three in men’s 400m and two in women’s over the distance.

Top three men will make it in 400m hurdles while two in women’s contest while 20km race walk will have two athletes in each of the men and women’s events.

The country will enter one high jumper in men’s while a man and woman in long and triple jump respectively.  Kenya will have two male representative in javelin, one woman in heptathlon and one man in decathlon.

While the track events will take place at the main arena that will tentatively be closed for the trials, the field events will be held at the warm up track area.

The three contestants in decathlon Elijah Cheruiyot, Gilbert Kibiwot and Joseph Phogisio will compete in five events on Friday before finishing the remaining five on Saturday.

The programme starts proper on Saturday with men and women’s race walk at 7am.