Africa Cross squad gets down to intense training

A new senior men 10km champion will be crowned on March 12 in Yaounde, Cameroon during the third running of the CAA Africa Athletics Championships after titleholder, Leonard Barsoton, formally withdrew from the competition.

Speaking to Citizen on Thursday, Team Manager, Peter Angwenyi, also confirmed World Cross champion, Geoffrey Kipsang and silver medallist, Bedan Karoki, will also not feature at the continental showpiece as widely reported having led Barsoton to the tape at last weekend’s national championships.

Also out of the women’s senior women 10km squad are world steeplechase champion, Hyvin Kiyeng and Janet Kisa, who ran for Kenya at last year’s IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Guiyang, China.

“We started training this morning (Thursday) with 18 athletes. We have selected a final squad of 24 and the six who were not with us are away with permission to process their documents.

“Kipsang and Karoki are focusing on next month’s World Half Marathon Championships while Barsoton opted out to prepare for the Olympics Trials where he is aiming for a place in the men 10000m team,” the former Athletics Kenya (AK) public relations officer told.

“Kiyeng and Kisa will not be travelling with us as well to focus on the upcoming track season. We still have a strong team that we shall prepare well to defend our title,” he added.

The 2006 World Cross junior champion, Pauline Korikwiang and Nancy Nzisa got the nod in the women’s senior squad in place of Kiyeng and Kisa with the team that based at St. Mark’s Teachers Training College, Kigari in Embu waiting for junior men athletes Alfred Ngeno and Anthony Kiptoo to arrive.

SQUAD IN KIGARI

Men 10: Charles Mneria, Phillip Lagat, James Rungari, Geoffrey Koech, Cleophas Rotich, Phillip Rono; Women 10km: Alice Aprot, Beatrice Mutai, Sheila Chepkirui, Daisy Jepkemei, Pauline Korikwiang, Nancy Nzisa: Men 8km: Nixon Kiplagat, Andrew Lorot, Isaac Kipsang, Willy Kwemoi, Ronald Kiprotich, Alfred Ngeno, Anthony Kiptoo; Women 6km: Sandra Felis Chebet, Miriam Cherop, Lucy Cheruiyot, Gloriah Kite, Winfred Mbithe, Lilian Kasait