By Mutwiri Mutuota

The three-day New KCC/AK-National Athletics Championships on Saturday at Nyayo National Stadium ended in an anti-climax.

For the first time in years, it generated enormous interest since it was also a selection championship for 10,000m runners for the 12th IAAF World Championships

David Rudisha leads Jackson Kivuva in the battle for the 800m national title on Saturday. Rudisha won the race. Photo: Stafford Ondego/Standard

However, in typical Athletics Kenya (AK) melodramatic fashion, the country has to wait until after the July 25 National Trials to know who makes the final men and women 10,000m squads for Berlin.

This announcement on Saturday is bound to stoke as much controversy as last year’s decision by the federation to name reserves in the 5,000m and 10,000m teams ahead of Beijing Olympics.

Ahead of the National Championships, AK stated first two runners across the line in the 10,000m races would automatically qualify for Berlin with selectors deciding the third slots.

Linet Masai (32:49.3) and Lineth Chepkurui (32:57.3) duly obliged in the women’s 10,000m final.

However, Chepkurui, a road racer who has taken up track running this season is yet to dip under the A-standard 31:45.0 qualifying mark for Berlin and she has until August 3 to attain the time.

"We are not keen on a repeat of last year where we sent Peninah Arusei to get the qualifying time for the Olympics only for her to perform poorly since she had not recovered well," an AK official confided to FeverPitch.

Arusei, who finished fourth (33:16.9) at the same race was sent to qualify for Beijing in Steenwijk after finishing second at Olympics Trials. There she ran 30:57.8 on July 17 last year.

On August 15, she clocked 31:39.87 for 18th in Beijing becoming the first Kenyan ever to be lapped in a 10,000m race at the Olympics.

If the outcome of the women’s 25-lap race has selectors in a spin, then the men’s finale a day later will give them more headaches in deciding the third slot.

All top four finishers led by Sammy Kitwara (27:44.46) with Gideon Ngatuny (27:44.77), Bernard Kipyego (27:44.80) and Moses Masai (27:44.88) in tow beat the 27:47.00 Berlin A-Standard in the fastest men’s 10,000m race run on Kenyan soil.

With Kitwara and Ngatuny assured of Berlin places, who to give the third ticket is bound to generate heated debate.

World 10k record holder and Beijing bronze winner, Micah Kogo, who dropped out of the race with apparent stomach cramps, Masai, who was fourth at the Olympics and 2007 World Cross medallist Kipyego are leading candidates.

World leader Josphat Muchiri Ndambiri who has clocked two sub 27 times this year in Fukuroi (26:57.36) and Tendo (26:58.40) cities Japan and World Cross bronze medallist, Martin Irungu Mathathi are others with a shout. They placed ninth and eighth at the 10,000m race.