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Athletics Kenya will tomorrow name Team Kenya for the 22nd African Senior Athletics Championships planned from June 24-28 in Lagos, Nigeria.

 AK says the national trials to pick the team for the continental event were planned from May 27 to 29 in Nairobi but the event was converted to Olympics pre-trials after the continental event was postponed owing to Covid-19 challenges.

 With the  new dates for the African event  coming just a week after the Olympics trials at Kasarani, AK senior vice  president Paul Mutwii disclosed it will not be possible to have trials specifically for the continental event.

 “It will be unreasonable to subject athletes for example in 10,000m to run a week before the African Championships.

So we have agreed that the selection will be based on previous events,” shared Mutwii who ruled out the Olympics trials to double up as Africa Championships trials.

 Mutwii who also chairs the competitions committee at the federation said AK Relay Series, Track and Field weekend meeting, Diamond League, World Athletics Challenge meetings and the just ended pre-trials for the Tokyo Olympic Games will be the basis for the selection.

 “This will be a reprieve for the athletes who will not make it to Tokyo for the Olympic Games. So this will be an opportunity for them to represent the country,”said Mutwii.

 The continental competition was initially planned from June 1-5 in Algeria then moved to June 24-28 at the same venue before it was postponed indefinitely.

 Kenya topped the medal standings with 19 medals — 11 gold, six silver and two bronze — during the 2018 African Senior Championships held at Stephen Keshi Stadium, Asaba, Nigeria.