DM Monitoring
NAIROBI: Kenya has named a team anchored by three-time defending champion Geoffrey Kamworor to compete at this year’s World Athletics Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia, Poland on March 29.
Kamworor, 27, got his wish to make the team to Gdynia having opted not to travel to Lome, Togo for the Africa Cross Country Championships on April 8.
Now he has the small task of writing his name among the legendary athletes by clinching his fourth title in Poland, in the bi-annual world half marathon, at the end of the month.
“It was my dream and plan to compete at the World Half Marathon. I will like so much to gauge myself in one last race before turning my focus to the track competition ahead of the Olympic Games in August,” said Kamworor on Tuesday.
Kamworor, who is on hunt for a fourth consecutive title, will partner with in-form star Kibiwott Kandie, who is fresh from winning the Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) Half Marathon last month in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). “I am ready to defend my world half marathon title in Poland as well as take part in the Tokyo Olympic Games,” Kamworor said.
Kamworor currently holds the world record in the 21km distance having clocked 58:01 in Copenhagen last September.
On the other hand, Kandie has been on the rise as he set his personal best time of 58:58 two weeks ago in UAE.
Others in the five-man team are 2017 World Cross silver medalist Leonard Barsoton, Shadrack Kimining and Victor Chumo.
World half marathon bronze medalist Pauline Kaveke will be the athlete to beat in the women’s team.
Kaveke will try to step up from bronze, which she won in 2018 when clocking 66:56 in Valencia.
She will have to partner with Dorcas Kimeli, who was third in Barcelona (67:10) in last month’s race alongside Monica Wanjuhi, Brillian Jepkorir and Dorcas Jepchirchir. Paul Mutwii, Athletics Kenya (AK) vice president said the athletes will converge in Nairobi next week to plan their training schedule and cultivate team work.
“They are doing their individual training now. But we will bring them together next week to access their strength and instill team work. We will also be naming the coaching staff then,” said Mutwii.
