Ebuya to start chase for World Cross slot in county meet

Former World Cross Country champion Joseph Ebuya (right) with Daniel Ekiru Ekale.

Former World Cross Country champion Joseph Nawowuna Ebuya (pictured above right) will lead elite runners during the Uasin Gishu County, Athletics Kenya cross country meeting on Saturday at Eldoret Polytechnic grounds.

Ebuya, who will miss the Kenya Defence Forces cross country championships on the same day at Kahawa Barracks, will try to get a slot in the national team ahead of World Cross Country championships in Guiyang, China where he hopes to win his second gold in the race he won last in 2011.

“I want to make into the Kenya team come the national trials. Though I will miss the KDF family race, I have to use local means to ensure that I make it to Guiyang,” said Ebuya.

Born in a cattle-rustling prone area of Baragoi, Samburu County, Ebuya was not named in the Thika team for the KDF championships following his dismal performance last year and is leaving nothing to chance, but to use the local championships to propel him to Guiyang on March 28.

WORLD CROSS

The athlete, who is well remembered for ending Kenya’s long wait for World Cross Country title, staged a stunning show at Polish City, Bydgoszcz in 2011 to win the 12km senior men category that was last won in 1999 by Paul Tergat.

With career threatening tendon injury, Ebuya has fully recovered from the injury and ready for competitions, but he has changed to marathon but the World Cross Championships is his first target for a medal in 2015.

“This will provide a good opportunity for me to rise again above the rest since I have experience in cross country running,“ he said. The 29-year-old runner will face off with young athletes like Spencer Maiyo, who won the Kapseret Sub-county race, Eliud Kiptoo of Kesses, Bethwel Yegon from Ainabkoi Sub-counties among others.

Elsewhere, former world junior 3,000m winner Sammary Cherotich, who returned into athletics’ competitions last week after winning Kapseret Sub-county senior women race with ease, will also be hoping for a slot in the national team.