Champion Jelimo to run 400m at Nationals

By GILBERT WANDERA

Olympic 800m champion, Pamela Jelimo, will run  in the 400m event at the National Championships at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, today.

Jelimo confirmed she will run the event to build on her speed ahead of the national trials next week.?

“I intend to work on my speed. I lost in Rome not because my sprint is poor, but because of a tactical error. I believe I pulled out of the crowd too early. So that is why I need to work on my speed and the National Championships will help rectify that,” she said.

“I will return to my speciality during the Kenyan trials on June 23. I want to win a ticket to the Olympics,” said Jelimo.

Jelimo admitted that making it to the Kenyan team will not be an easy task, but she is determined to do it and is inspired by her recent comeback.

“It is not easy to be named in the Kenya team. There are always some new athletes who emerge to steal the limelight and I do not want to be caught out,” she said.

?She added: “There is Janeth Jepkosgei, Winnie Chebet, Cherono Koech and many other upcoming athletes and so I expect it to be very competitive.”

?The Africa record holder (1:54.01) has a 52.68 personal best time in the one lap race.

Jelimo has finally hit the acceleration pedal after struggling for three years with a nagging injury. She won the World Indoor Championships in Turkey, and picked the top spot in Doha, Qatar and Ostrava, Czech Republic in the on-going Diamond league.

However, she failed to win in Rome two weeks ago where Ethiopia’s Fantu Magiso emerged from her shadow to win in 1:57.56. Jelimo though still holds the world lead time of 1:56.94, which she posted in Doha when she beat Magiso.