Cross Country: Team to Africa Championships picked

2018 cross country Miram Cherop wins women's 6km during the 2018 National Cross Country Championships at Uhuru Gardens. [Dennis Okeyo, Standard]

Stacy Ndiwa and Alfred Barkach will lead Kenya’s assault at the fifth edition of the Africa Cross Country Championships in Chlef, Algeria on March 17.

Ndiwa, a fifth place finished at the 2015 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Guiyang,China,  Sandra Felis Chebet, Maragaret Chelimo, Celiphine Chespol, Perin Nenkampi and Rosemery Njeri will carry the national flag in women’s 10km race.

In the corresponding senior men’s 10km, Athletics Kenya named fresh faces that includes Barkach, a second place finisher in the senior men race yesterday behind Geoffrey Kamworor who will not be featuring in Algeria.

Other members of the squad are Macharia Ndirangu, Emmanue Bor, John Chepkwony Josephat Bett and Julius Kogo.

In the junior women’s 6km, Miriam Cherop from Bomet County who trains under John Kimetto, the Algeria-bound team head coach, will have a chance of defending her title in Chlef next month after being named in the team.

Roselinda Jepketer, Beatrice Chebet, Agnes Jebet, Hellen Ekalale and Edna Jebitok, the World Under-18 bronze medalist are other members of the squad.

World Under-18 3000m bronze medalist Stanley Waithaka, World Under-18 3,000m silver medallist Edward Zakayo, Ronex Kipruto, Peter Lagat, Nicholas Kipkorir and Edwin Kiplgata Bett will be gunning for continental titles in men’s 8km junior race.  

The team will be managed by Abdi Salat as the manager assisted by Duncun Ongore while Kimetto will be the head-coach assisted by Joshua Chelanga and Naomi Mugo. Susan Sirman will be the team’s chaperon.

At the Africa Cross country Championships in Yaounde, Cameroon in 2016, Kenya swept the podium in senior and junior women races. [Dennis Okeyo]