BETSY SAINA ON THE RISE: US-based 10,000m star talks up her chances at Rio Olympics

Batsy Saina fist up to finish second in the women's 10,000m finals to qualify for the Rion Olympics Games during the National Olympics Trials on June 30,2016 at kipchoge Stadium, Eldoret.[PHOTO:DENNIS OKEYO/STANDARD]

She is among three foreign-based athletes who flew into the country and made the cut to the Rio Olympic Games.

Betsy Saina, a nurse from Iowa State University in the US, lived up to her billing to pick the coveted ticket to the Olympics Games that kicks off on August 5.

Saina arrived for the 10,000m national trials knowing too well that Vivian Cheruiyot, the world 10,000m champion, was in the form of her life as did Alice Aprot, the newly crowned Africa champion, who had been handed a wildcard.

She had no option but to be at her best to pick the remaining prized ticket to the Samba nation.

“Beating Vivian, who has been in spectacular form this season, would have been difficult and with Aprot getting the wildcard, my focus was to finish second and make the team and for me to do just that was a huge relief,” she told Feverpitch yesterday.

Saina had tasted the bitterness of failing to make the national team before, after two unsuccessful attempts in the 2012 Olympics and 2013 worlds’ trials but qualified for last year’s Beijing Worlds.

“I knew how competitive the trials usually are so I took part in only two races this season to train hard and direct my energy on the trials as anything could happen,” she said.

Saina, the three-time National Collegiate Athletics Association (US) champion and winner of 2015 Great Manchester Run will, however, be seeking to improve on her disappointing debut at the World Championships, after finishing 8th in Beijing.

“It was embarrassing not to come back with a medal from Beijing. I should have done better especially in the last lap.

I am putting 150 percent focus in training and hope that I will be on the podium in Rio,” she said.

She is banking on her closely-knit friendship with Vivian and Aprot to lock out formidable Ethiopian opposition of world 5,000m champion Almaz Ayana and world silver medallist Gelete Burka. “In the camp, there is no rivalry between the three of us and that is because Vivian has been amazing in the way she is mentoring Aprot and I.

“She wants us all to do better and she talks to us every day, something that has fostered a great team spirit in the camp,” she added.

Saina admitted the focus in 10,000m race will be on Ayana and Vivian but said her concentration is not on the names on the track.

“Ayana is obviously good, but I have learnt not to focus on who is in the race.

We have a good team and might just take a clean sweep of the medals in Rio,” she said.