MY SECRET WEAPON: World bronze medallist says only team work will help Kenya in Beijing global championships

Isaiah Kiplangat of western on his way to win 5000m men finals during the police Championship on 17-05-2014 at Kasarani Stadium.PHOTO/DENNIS OKEYO

Isaiah Kiplang’at Koech is optimistic that Kenya will end the 10-year-old gold drought at the 15th IAAF World Athletics Championships at the iconic Birds Nest Stadium in Beijing, China, next month.

Koech, who won bronze medal in Moscow Worlds, hopes that those selected into 5,000m squad will embrace team spirit after the national trials on July 31-August 1.

And they must be at their best to counter Ethiopian rivals who have fashioned a strong 5,000m team for the Beijing World Championships.

Ethiopia has lined up African and world junior 5,000m champion Yomif Kejelcha, world 5,000m silver medallist Hagos Gebrhiwet, Olympic 5,000m silver medallist Dejen Gebremeskel and Yenew Alamirew, the national 3,000m record-holder, for Beijing Worlds.

Koech is, however, less worried with the opposition and insists Kenya’s smart approach and team work will weather the storm.

“At the moment, I only want to qualify for the national team and then focus on the championships. I have experience in championships and hope that we will do something different,” Koech told FeverPitch after his training at Timboroa, Uasin Gishu County, on telephone.

Koech, who finished second in Birmingham Diamond League meeting in 13:08 behind Olympic bronze medallist Thomas Longosiwa, believes team work will spur Kenyans into victory.

“We should be talking while in competition, just like the Ethiopians. We should do 2:16 in the final 1,000m to avoid the mistakes we made in Moscow where we did 2:22 in the final 1,000m. I am confident that we can beat Mo Farah (Britain’s double Olympic and world champion) in Beijing,” he said.

He added: “We should do 60 or 61 seconds in a lap then 58 seconds and finally strive for 54 seconds to be certain of victory.

“In Moscow, I just wanted to finish within the medal bracket, which I did. I will rectify a few tactical errors I made in Daegu and Moscow and, hopefully, come out victorious,” he said.

Kiplang’at, a native of Keringet who basks in an impressive 12:45 all time mark, added: “I want to run 12:43 and see if I can hit 12:37 in the near future.”

He cut down his races this season and only competed in two Diamond League meetings -- Birmingham and Monaco -- where he was third in three kilometre contest in 7:37.

“I still have the fighting spirit I had in Moscow. We must prove to the world a point... I only need to qualify,” he said.