Let’s not forget our world indoors campaign

What you need to know:

  • World 5,000 metres champion Helen Obiri will spearhead a six-man Kenya team to the Birmingham event.

Why do we look like we have forgotten that we have a team representing us at the World Indoor Championships in Birmingham this weekend?

All the attention seem to be on the Commonwealth Games, Coca Cola Fifa World Cup Trophy Tour and the campaign to regain the Safari Rally status on the World Rally Championships calendar.

This shouldn’t be misconstrued to mean that the events are not important, but just a reminder that a few other gallant Kenyans will be flying the country’s flag in Birmingham.

Just to jog your memory, world 5,000 metres champion Helen Obiri will spearhead a six-man Kenya team to the Birmingham event.

The Olympic 5,000m silver medallist has a good track record in the indoor event, having clinched the world indoor 3,000m title in Istanbul in 2011 and bagged a silver at the world indoor event in Sopot, Poland, in 2013 when she came home second.

She will be joined by Olympic 800m bronze medallist, Margaret Nyairera, who bagged a bronze at the last event in Portland, Oregon, two years ago.

Joining the two will be Beatrice Chepkoech, who rose to stardom last year after dominating the 1,500m, 3000m steeplechase and 5,000m races on the local scene. US-based Emmanuel Korir leads the men’s squad. Korir has been in fine form on the indoor circuit, clocking 1:44:21 in 800m at Millrose Games early this month in the USA.

Korir’s time was also the third fastest run of all time in an event, where Kenyan-born Dane Wilson Kipketer holds the world record time of 1:42.67, set during the World Indoor Championships in 1997 in Paris, France.

Former World Under-18 Championships 3,000m silver medallist Davis Kiplangat, Bethwell Birgen and Vincent Kibet will be the other athletes to watch. With the event already here, I can only wish them the best of luck and I want to take this opportunity to urge Kenyans to give them the necessary support.

For those who are not aware, indoor games are some of the most challenging and tricky events on IAAF calendar and one must be ready. Remember here, you are not only battling against time but also the weather. Kenya has always been a force to reckon with at the World Indoor Championships and I don’t expect less.

I am sure presence of Obiri especially, will be an inspiration enough for the rest.

Team officials, including former Olympic 800m champion William Tanui, Daniel Kimutai and Josephine Teeka, will have to plan well and everything is in place.

All the best. I hope you will set the right rhythm for your Africa Cross Country and Commonwealth Games counterparts.

Korir, Athletics Kenya’s Nairobi branch chairman, is also head of Kenya’s team to the 2018 Commonwealth Games: [email protected]