OBIRI GETS WILD CARD: Birgen also earns automatic slot for IAAF World Indoors meeting

Kenya's Helen Onsando Obiri celebrates after she won the silver medal in the Women's 5000m Final during the athletics event at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on August 19, 2016. / AFP PHOTO / Leon NEAL

Olympic 5,000m silver medallist Hellen Obiri and Bethwel Birgen have earned wild cards to the 2018 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Birmingham, United Kingdom.

With the second season of the IAAF World Indoor Tour having come to a close after the last of its five meetings, 11 athletes – five men and six women in 2017 – have booked their place at the IAAF World Indoor Championships.

In addition to a winner-takes-all US$20,000 (Sh2m) bonus, the 11 individual discipline winners will also automatically qualify for the next edition of the IAAF World Indoor Championships by ‘wild card’.

Obiri won the women 3000m world indoor title at the 2012 edition in Istanbul, Turkey before taking silver two years later.

Obiri, who competes for Kenya Defence Forces, said she was grateful for the wild card and would prepare well for a third stab at the IAAF World Indoor Championships.

“I am really happy for the wild card. I now prepare for this year’s World Championships and then focus on the World Indoors. I hope to win a third medal in Birmingham,” said a delighted Obiri.

But Birgen, who earned wild card in 1,500m, said he was happy with it but will contest in Indoor Tours in 3,000m as he seeks qualification for the Birmingham Championships in 3,000m.

“I have been trying my luck in 1,500m for a number of times with little success. I want to contest in 3,000m and hope to do well. I will strive to be among the two top Kenyans in 3,000m next season,” said Birgen.

Birgen did not progress past the heats of the 1500m at the 2012 edition in Istanbul.

This means, for instance, that in Birmingham there will possibly be three Kenyan athletes in each of the men’s 1500m and women’s 3000m, three South Africans in the men’s long jump, three Jamaicans in the women’s 60m and three US athletes in the women’s 60m hurdles.

Previously only two athletes per nation per discipline have been allowed to enter the IAAF World Indoor Championships, but there is now a chance that, for the first time in history, one nation could sweep the medals in an individual event.

The non-scoring disciplines in this year’s World Indoor Tour will become the 11 scoring disciplines for next year’s World Indoor Tour, creating a total of 22 wild card entries for the IAAF World Indoor Championships.

The final decision about entering an individual athlete for the IAAF World Indoor Championships still remains with the individual IAAF member federation.