Athletics Kenya will send a team of 24 athletes, 12 men and 12 women, to the Prefontaine Classic Diamond League in the USA, on 5th July, which will be used to select the best six athletes who will represent the country in the 5000m women’s and 10,000m events at the 20th World Athletics Championships set for September in Tokyo, Japan.
According to AK Executive Member Barnaba Korir, hosting the trials in the United States will allow many athletes to post faster and better times than they would have if they ran in Nairobi.
“We tested it last year when we selected our 10,000m squad for the Olympics, and it worked; Beatrice Chebet even set the world mark. “It’s easier for Kenyan men to run 27 minutes in the United States than in Nairobi,” Korir said.
Best-ranked athletes and those who have met the qualification standards have been invited for the USA trials, which are fully sponsored by Nike.
“We are taking 12 men for 10,000m and 12 women for 5,000m for the trials. We want to give the opportunity to as many Kenyan athletes as possible to qualify for World Championships and improve on their times.” Korir said
The rest of the team will be selected on August 2nd during the national trials in Nairobi, with the federation racing against time to have the trials at Nyayo Stadium.
“We are working closely with Sports Kenya to have the glue for the laying of the new tartan track at Nyayo Stadium delivered on time, and we hope it will be completed before the start of CHAN.” he added.
Kenya will only be defending three titles at the Tokyo World Athletics Championships, which will take place from September 13–21: the 800-meter, 1500-meter, and 5000-meter women’s events.