Chris Musumba
6 February 2008
Nairobi — Kenya's squad to next month's World Indoor Athletics Championships in Valencia will be selected based on athletes' performances in the current track and field meetings in Europe and USA.
Athletics Kenya secretary-general, David Okeyo, said Tuesday previous records won't count in selecting the squad to the 12th edition of the indoor championships slated for March 2 to 7.
Due to financial constraints, Okeyo said, only the best athletes would be picked. He said Kenya would enter only two male and two female athletes in three events - the 800metres, 1,500m and 3,000m, although three reserves would be named as cover for the selected runners.
The team will be named by February 20, five days before the expiry of the deadline.
"It is important that these athletes do well in their respective competitions. Selection will be based on performance alone and we won't have any trials for this event," said Okeyo.
Snatched the gold
Two years ago in Moscow, Kenya's squad had former world 5,000m champion Eliud Kipchoge and former world 800m silver medalist Wilfred Bungei (who went on to clinch the gold in the two lap race), Daniel Kipchirchir Komen, Shadrack Korir and Elkana Angwenyi.
Komen and Angwenyi took part in the 1,500m while Korir and Kipchoge were entered in the 3,000m.
Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele won the 3,000m race ahead of Qatar's Saif Saaeed Shaheen with Kipchoge settling for bronze. Korir finished fifth.
In the 1,500m, Kenya clinched silver and bronze as Ivan Heshko of Ukraine snatched the gold ahead of Komen and Angwenyi respectively.
In the 800m, Bungei won Kenya's only gold medal after edging out Olympic champion Yuriy Borzakovskiy of Russia and South Africa's Mbulaeni Mulaudzi.
Russia finished top of the overall standings with 18 medals, ahead of United States, while Ethiopia finished third. Ukraine were fourth as Kenya finished fifth with medals.
Kenyans reaffirmed their prowess in distance running, claiming victories in both the Marugame Half Marathon in Japan and the Mitja Marato de Granollers' meeting in Spain at the weekend.
Samuel Wanjiru, the current world half marathon record holder, grabbed a huge win in his specialist event at the '21st Mitja Marató de Granollers' held on Sunday, near Barcelona.
Wanjiru, 21, from Nyahururu but now based in Japan, was in top form as he clocked 59:26 which is a new Spanish all-comers best succeeding in that feat a living legend like Ethiopia's Haile Gebrselassie, who set the previous best in 2006 with a 60.08 clocking.
The women's race went to the 29-year-old Rahab Ndungu in 1:11.20.
In Japan, Philes Ongori led from the start to clinch the Marugame Half Marathon in 1:07:57, the fastest time of the year for a woman, and a personal best by nearly two minutes.
Compatriot Harun Njoroge was first in the men's race in 1:01:35
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