By Jonathan Komen

Kenya: After the conclusion of Athletics Kenya’s affiliates’ track and field meetings, action shifts to the national trials set for next month.

Kenyan trials usually promise a cocktail of hopes and exciting moments, not forgeting controversial selections, with fierce battles amongst top guns and a handful of upstarts.

Newcomers often pull surprises on the elites in their struggle to hold their grip.

They are bidding to break into the team to the 14th IAAF World Athletics Championships that runs in Moscow, Russia, from August 10-18.

Most world-beating athletes will compete at the Diamond League series while a few of them will cut down races to save energy.

Others will give the international meetings a wide berth and instead focus on the trials–where dreams will come true; others will turn into nightmares.

World 800m record holder David Rudisha, who won the third stop of the 2013 IAAF Diamond League at the 9th Adidas Grand in New York 1:45.14, will head to fourth leg in Eugene, Oregon, this Saturday.

Rudisha is expected to lead bronze medalist Timothy Kitum, Olympian Anthony Chemut and former Africa 800m bronze medalist Jackson Kivuva to the national trials.

Freshly minted star and 2009 World Youth 400m hurdles silver medalist Jeremiah Mutai will lend colour to the two-lap race battle.

Mutai, who comes from Molo, will carry his impressive 1:43.99 time he posted at the Kenya Police Championships last Saturday.

“Except Rudisha, I feel I am ready to take on these other guys. Rudisha is really strong but I am at par now with the others. I am happy for the win. I will now get down to training to tune up areas of weakness ahead of national trials. I will not enter any race up to national trials,” Mutai told FeverPitch by telephone Thursday.

World 1,500m champion Asbel Kiprop, who won in Doha (3:31.13) and Shanghai (3:32.39), will head to the Eugene meet.

But he will slug it out with silver medalist Silas Kiplagat, sixth-placed in Shanghai (3:33.85) and World Indoor bronze medalist Augustine Choge, who won the police meet in 3:37.3.

Olympic 3,000m steeplechase bronze medalist Abel Mutai and Commonwealth Games Richard Mateelong have showed their intentions in the water barriers race, winning Kenya Defence Forces and Kenya police contests respectively.

They need to be at their best to counter World Junior champion Conseslus Kipruto, who will also line up in Eugene.

Olympic 5,000m bronze medalist Thomas Longosiwa will compete at the Rabat World Challenge meet next week.

Former Olympic 1,500m champion Nancy Jebet Lagat, who finished fourth in New York last week, is keen to stage her comeback after a career threatening injury ruled out.

She will take her KDF team mate and World Indoor Champion Hellen Obiri.

World 5,000m silver medalist Sylvia Kibet, tw0-time world junior champion Mercy Cherono and Olympic 10,000m silver medalist Sally Kipyego will be out to replace Vivian Cheruiyot.