AK postpones naming of marathon teams

Athletics Kenya on Tuesday failed to name the marathon teams for both the Commonwealth Games slated for 4-15 April in Australia and IAAF World Half Marathon Championships to be held in Valencia, Spain on March 24, pushing the event to Tuesday next week.

According to AK vice–president in charge of competitions Paul Mutwii, the exercise had to be pushed forward by a further week since they are yet to finalise scrutinizing some pending details for some of the contenders.

“We were to select today the team of marathoners for both the Commonwealth Games and the World Half Marathon but unfortunately there are some athletes whom we missed their details today which necessitated the selecting panel to call off the process until next week Tuesday,” said Mutwii.

It is now a race against time for the athletics body to name the team for the games which will be coming earlier than usual in April, unlike the previous editions which were traditionally held in August.

The trials for the other athletics disciplines are however scheduled to be conducted from March 8-10, with the discipline having been allocated 57 slots in the team Kenya for the Gold Coast competition.

Athletics Kenya (AK) President Lt. Gen. Jackson Tuwei (L) shake hand with Paul Mutwii, the officer in-charge of competition at the Riadha house offices in Nairobi, Kenya on January 28, 2016. Athletics Kenya made statement on various competitions that will take place in the 2016 season which included; preparation for National cross country championship, IAAF World indoor championship, World half marathon, Olympic marathon team, World youth championships and plans to curb doping menace. Photo/Stafford Ondego/ www.sportpicha.com
(FILE)Athletics Kenya (AK) President Lt. Gen. Jackson Tuwei (L) shake hand with Paul Mutwii, the officer in-charge of competition at the Riadha house offices in Nairobi, Kenya on January 28, 2016. Athletics Kenya made statement on various competitions that will take place in the 2016 season which included; preparation for National cross country championship, IAAF World indoor championship, World half marathon, Olympic marathon team, World youth championships and plans to curb doping menace. Photo/Stafford Ondego/ Sportpicha.

The World half marathon team that will be named will be tasked to retain both the men and women titles won by Geoffrey Kamworor and Peres Jepchirchir in the 2016 competition held in Cardiff, United Kingdom.

It is widely expected that world half-marathon record holder Joyciline Jepkosgei will be leading the women team in the same soil that she broke her own world record in the Valencia Half Marathon held last year October by clocking 1.04.51, one second ahead of the record she had set back in April at the Prague Half Marathon in Czech Republic.

On the other hand,  the men marathon team that will be selected for the Commonwealth Games, will be out to make amends after missing out on gold medal in the 2014 games held in Glasgow, Scotland, where Stephen Kwelio Chemlany, the only Kenyan to make it to the podium after finishing second to win silver.

Unlike their men counterparts, the women team will be defending the top two positions thanks to Flomena Cheyech and Caroline Kilel who won gold and silver respectively.

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Athletics Kenya Spain Valencia IAAF World Half Marathon Championships AK vice–president in charge of competitions Paul Mutwii April in Australia for Commonwealth Games slated for 4-15 postpones naming of marathon teams

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