KENYA SET FOR AFRICA BATTLE: Cross country team off to Cameroon

The national cross country team left the country yesterday ahead of the fourth edition of Africa Cross Country Championship in Yaounde, Cameroon on Saturday.

The contingent of 24 athletes and nine officials left aboard a Kenya Airways flight from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport at 7am for a four-hour flight destined for Central Africa.

Most of the athletes in the squad are relatively young, but hope to do well for the country.

Japan-based Pauline Kamulu was elated when the team left the country as she will be trying her luck in a major cross country race for the second time.

Kamulu said she is out to post a respectable result in the athletics discipline as a senior.

“My first major competition was at the 2013 World Cross Country Championship in Bydgoszcz, Poland as a junior and it was all disastrous.

“I have never forgotten that day as I toiled to finish a distant tenth,” said told FeverPitch.

But Kamulu who is also the assistant team captain said she was now in perfect shape and ready for a medal as a senior.

“I have trained well. I have worked on those shortcomings that saw me post poor results three years ago. I can assure you that I will return with a medal,” she said.

Kamulu thinks Eritrea will pose a big challenge to Kenya at the event.

She hinted out that Kenyans need a strategy to beat the Eritreans if the country is to successfully defend the overall team title.

But team captain, Cleophas Ng’etich is of the opinion that it is indeed perennial rivals Ethiopians who are a great threat to Kenyans at the event.

“We know the strength of the Ethiopians. We have discussed on a strategy which I believe will help us tackle them,” said Ng’etich who has earned his first call up in the national team.

Ng’etich, who is based in Kapsabet, said he was humbled and overwhelmed to be voted as team captain by his peers even though it was his first time representing Kenya internationally.

“Because of this honour I have promised to lead by example and there is no better way of doing this than win a medal for my country.

“My aim is to settle for the medal bracket in Cameroon,” he said.

Head coach Sammy Rono said that he tackled all the required areas with athletes during their three weeks camp in Kigari in Embu County.

At the same time, team physiotherapist Emily Cherono was glad that no athlete picked an injury during their rigorous training in Kigari.

Team Manager, Peter Angwenyi, while thanking Athletics Kenya (AK) for being fully behind the squad said the team was well motivated as AK provided all their needs before their departure yesterday.

“We camped for three full weeks in Kigari. The team got adequate and relevant coaching skills from the three coaches. We are hopeful for a better result come Saturday,”Angwenyi said.

Kenya dominated the third edition in Kampala, Uganda last year.