Exclusion of Kibet, Simiyu leaves Krop, Kimeli as Kenya’s hope in Doha

Kenya will field the weakest 5,000m men’s team in tomorrow’s heats when the 17th edition of the IAAF World Championships gets underway in Doha, Qatar.

The 7.55pm heats will see the country line up Nicholas Kimeli and Jacob Krop who finished third and fourth respectively in the national trials held two weeks ago in Nairobi after Michael Kibet and Daniel Simiyu, first and second at the trials, were locked out over International Association of Athletics Federation’s (IAAF’s) strict laws. 

The two are victims of IAAF’s Athletes Integrity Unit (AIU) anti-doping requirements that demanded all athletes hoping for selection must have undergone three out-of-competition and one in-competition doping tests before trials.

The three out-of-competition tests for both urine and blood must include at least one Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) and one Erythropoietin (Epo) test and the results recorded in the Anti-Doping Administration and Management System (ADAMS).

Kibet and Simiyu’s fates were sealed after IAAF declined Athletics Kenya’s request to field them, leaving Kenya short of numbers and experience in a race they have not won gold since Benjamin Limo’s trumph in Helsinki, Finland in 2005. 

AK senior vice-president Paul Mutwii, who also chairs the competitions docket, confirmed the development.

 “As you know, Kenya is still on the IAAF watch list. The stringent anti-doping rules set by the AIU must be followed. 

“I think that might have hugely contributed to the decision to decline the request,” he said. 

AK has been blamed for failing to inform the youngsters the requirements before they came for the trials but as it is, the blunder has left Kibet, who clocked 13:26.83 at the trials, and Simiyu (13:27.95 ) in the cold at a time the country was seeking redemption in the 12 and-a-half-lap race.

Fitness worries

With AK also declining to include experienced World Under-20 champion Edward Zakayo and silver medallist Stanley Waithaka in the team over fitness worries, it will be a tall order for Kenya given the form of Ugandan Joshua Chepetegei and Ethiopian duo Selemon Barega and Hagos Gebrhiwet.