Ray of hope for Kenya's sprinters

[PHOTO: COURTESY]

Kenya’s sprinters, who failed to meet the qualification time at the National Trial on June 24, will head to Belgium for European athletics meeting to try to get qualification standard time for the IAAF London World Championship.

According to Athletics Kenya, the eight athletes include four men and four women, who have the potential of getting the required entry time. They will compete in 4x400m and 400m for both genders.

Top on the list of runners, who will compete at the International Meeting de Liege meeting on July 19, are former national 400m champion Alfas Kishoyain, US-based Michael Saruni, Collins Omae, and Raymond Kibet.

Both Kibet and Omae have already qualified for men’s 400m, but the duo will be competing in 4x400m.

Kishoyian, who missed out of the provisional squad, will line up in 400m and 4x400m.

“I have not lost hope of competing at the World Championships. With another opportunity, I’m ready to give it another try,” said Kishoyian.

With Saruni’s name appearing in the list despite initially being named among the five athletes picked in the 800m squad at the trials alongside Emmanuel Korir, Kipyegon Bett, Ferguson Rotich and event’s world champion David Rudisha, it means the selectors have rubber-stamped his fate to compete in 400m.

Maureen Jelagat, who missed the national trials through a thigh injury, will seek to redeem her chance at Belgium’s national permit alongside Jacinta Shikanda and Veronica Mutua, whose 52.56 seconds finish at the National Trials was not enough with 52.10 seconds set by IAAF as the qualification standard.

Also in the team are Maximila Imali, the only female athlete 400m team, will form a quartet in women’s 4x400m.

Kenya’s women are ranked ninth in the world while their male counterpart are ranked twelfth.

Olympics Games bronze medallist Margaret Nyairera and Emmanuel Korir, who are in the 800m teams have been listed in the Belgium bond team to boost the 4x400m teams.

Meanwhile, Olympics Games 400m hurdles silver medallist Boniface Mucheru and Aaron Koech will also be in action on July 12 and 16 in Italy to try to get the standard time for the World Championships.