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The 2016  World Under 20 1,500m champion Kumari Taki will be keen to extend his recent fine form when he competes at the Kenyan leg of the 2022 World Athletics Continental Tour Gold (Kip Keino Classic) on Saturday at Kasarani. 

Taki fresh from finishing second during the Athletics Kenya National Championships at the same venue last week has been on a comeback journey from an injury that ruled him out of the competition last season.  “I have now successfully competed at the national championships and Police Championship in the last two weeks and I feel good about it and most importantly fit again,” said Taki. 

“Kip Keino is yet another chance for me to do a personal assessment and gauge what I have to do to get to the top level,” added Taki who was named in Team Kenya for the Africa Senior Athletics Championships slated for June 8-12 in Mauritius. 

During the race classified as discretionary, Taki will face in-form World Indoors bronze medallist Abel Kipsang, Tokyo Olympic 5,000m bronze medallist, United States’ Kenyan-born Paul Chelimo and defending champion Vincent Keter. Others are Ethiopians Wegene Addisu, Adisu Girma and Melkamu Zegeye. 

The 2018 Africa 1,500m bronze medallist Ronald Musagala from Uganda and the 2016 World Indoor 800m silver medallist Antoine Gakeme of Burundi will also be in action. The list also includes World Under 20 1,500m record holder Ronald Kwemoi and Charles Simotwo. 

Top performance 

Meanwhile, World Under 20 800m bronze medalist Noah Kibet has welcomed fans to Kasarani on Saturday to experience top performances. 

Kibet said the presence of fans at the one-day World Continental Tour Gold meet will inspire him and many other Kenyan athletes to greatness in their respective races.  

“The last time this event was held, we were in the thick of the Covid-19 pandemic and so the fans could not attend in their numbers. This time the government has allowed people to come and watch. We need you to come and fill all these seats on Saturday,” said World Indoors 800m silver medallist who will be out to defend his title on Saturday.