AK regional cross country championships take off Friday
Athletics Kenya regional cross country championships take centre stage this weekend (January 7-8) as athletes focus on getting slots for the national championships set for January 22 at Lobo village, Kapseret, Uasin Gishu County.
In the South Rift region, the meeting will be held at Nakuru Athletics Club as world under-20 steeplechase silver medallist Leonard Bett will seek to continue his exploits as he sets his eyes on the prize.
In the 10km senior women’s category Emily Chebet(35:19) who trains under coach Paul Kemei of Lemotit Athletics Camp will battle it out with Josephine Chepkirui from Nakuru(37:20.7) and Gladys Cherono from Bomet County(31:01) respectively.
The South Rift region competition will bring together six counties of Kericho, Bomet, Laikipia, Kajiado, Narok counties and the host Nakuru.
Athletics Kenya, South Rift, secretary General Japhet Kemei said preparations are in top gear ahead of the Saturday event.
“Preparations are going on very well, we are now marking the field and we expect to select a very strong side for the nationals,” Kemei told People Sport.
$40,000 prize
Meanwhile, the Central Rift championship bringing together Baringo, Uasin Gishu and Nandi counties will go down at Eldoret Sports Club.
Geoffrey Rono and Agnes Chebet will lead Baringo County in the championship on January 8.
The North Rift region which comprises Trans Nzoia, West Pokot, Elgeyo Marakwet, Turkana and Samburu counties will hold their trials in Kipkeigei in Trans Nzoia County on January 8.
National 5,000m champion Michael Kibet, All Africa Games 5,000m champion Robert Kiprop and Cornelius Kemboi are set to face-off.
Kibet, who won the 2019 Ndalat Gaa cross country title, has fully recovered from the disappointment he encountered in 2019 after missing to run for Kenya at the World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar.
AK North Rift region public relations officer Boniface Tiren said that preparations are complete and they expect stiff competition among the athletes with a shot at a national trials ticket on the line.
“North Rift has strong athletes and we expect to conquer the trials in Eldoret,” said Tiren.
World Athletics introduced cross country tour races which will be subsequently categorised as gold, silver or bronze and will come with additional prize monies for the best performers.
Out of the $400,000 (about Sh43 million by current exchange rates) prize money for the best performers, $75,000 (about Sh8 million) will be set aside for the best male and female runners in the cross country tour.
Eldoret town was picked as one of its venues for the inaugural 2022 World Cross Country Tour that has 17 legs.
