Simiu keen to silence rivals at World Indoors meet in Serbia

North Rift's Daniel Simiyu celebrate after leading in the 5000Mts Men category during trials for Tokyo olympic games at Kasarani stadium, June 17, 2021. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

This year, Olympian Daniel Simiu prides in three victories and one runner-up position and he is eyeing another win when he lines up at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, starting on Friday.

Simiu, who represented Kenya in 5000m at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, started off the year with a stunning win at the 10km Valencia Ibercaja, Valencia on January 9, and emerging top in an impressive 26:58. The same month, he triumphed at the Discovery Kenya Cross Country title in Eldoret.

He will be representing the country in 3,000m at the 2022 World Indoor Championships from Friday March 18 to Sunday March 20.

And on February 9, he secured victory at the Mondeville Indoor Meeting in France before finishing second at the Metz Moselle Athlelor indoor meeting in the same country on February 12.

Yesterday, Simiu expressed confidence of a victory in Belgrade. He will be racing on the final day (Sunday).

“I have run two indoors, Mondeville and Metz and that enabled me to secure a slot in team Kenya. It is my second time representing the country and my target is not to let my country down. I am aiming to win,” Simiu told Standard Sport.

Iten-based Simiu said he has been training hard for the global competition.

He clocked 7:42.93 in Mondeville, beating Ethiopians Melkeneh Azize and Yasin Haji, who finished second and third respectively, and ran 7:37.86 in Metz behind Samuel Tefera also from Ethiopia.

The races, Simiu says, prepared him well for the World Indoor championships.

“Since competing at the Olympics, my focus has been the World Indoor championships. Making it to the Kenyan team is a dream come true. It will be a springboard to other international assignments,” Simiu said.

He added: “I am ready to compete in Belgrade. Everyday has been a new day for me. I have been pushing to the limit and hoping for the best.”

Simiu is in a team of ten athletes selected by Athletics Kenya, to represent the country in Belgrade. The team comprises 100m African record holder Ferdinand Omanyala who will be competing in 60m.

In 3000m, Simiu will be flying the Kenyan flag alongside Jacob Krop.

Krop has run three World Indoor Tours races this year, settling in position three in two 3000m races, in Init Indoor meeting (Germany) on January 28 and the Orlen Copernicus Cup in Poland on February 22. He finished 6th at the Hauts-de-France meeting on February 17.

Former World Under-20 5000m champion Beatrice Chebet will be competing in 3000m, in the women’s category.

On target in Belgrade is Daniel Komen’s 24-year-old 300m indoor world record. Komen broke the indoor 3,000m world record in a time of 7:24.90 in Budapest on February 6, 1998, just twelve days after Haile Gebrselassie set the 7:26.15 mark in the distance.