Despite his failure to defend the 10,000m gold medal at the Africa Senior Championships that climaxed here on Sunday night, Uganda 's current best runner Moses Kipsiro will compete in the Qatar Grand Prix on Friday.

The world 5000m bronze medallist opted out of the Addis Ababa event due to a back strain and his absence ensured Uganda failed to feature on the medal table topped by South Africa .

Kipsiro's title was claimed by Ethiopian Gebregziabh Gebremariam in 28: 17.11minutes as Uganda finished a distant 20th out of the competing 42 nations.

The Uspa Sports Personality of the Year 2007 will now head to Qatar where he is likely to compete against Ethiopian great Kenenisa Bekele, who won the 5,000m race here on Sunday night amid wild cheers from his local and international supporters. Kipsiro last competed on March 30 in the World Cross Country Championships in Edinburgh , Scotland where he finished 13th (12km race).

The highly billed Qatar race will thus be a big test for Kipsiro as he tries to build-up for the Olympic Games due August 8-24 in Beijing , China . Ugandan runners Benjamin Kiplagat (3000m steeplechase) and Abraham Chepkirwok (800m) have also entered the Qatar event.

The duo opted out of the Africa Championships, leaving Kenya and hosts Ethiopia to dominate middle and long distance races.