Top sprinters to grace season opening meet at Nyayo
It will be a sprinters haven as the first Athletics Kenya Track and Field Meeting gets underway at the Nyayo National Stadium Friday morning.
The two-day championships will see the return of the 100m national record holder Maximilla Imali, having recovered from a nagging hamstring injury.
Imali competed last in the 4x200m at the World Relay Championships in May last year.
Imali, the 2017 national 100m and 400m champion will face the reigning national 100m champion Monica Safania in the 100m battle that is dotted with entries from Kenya Police Service.
Safania won the national title in 2019 when the event was last held before Covid-19 halted the 2020 and 2021 events.
Former national 200m champion Dan Kiviasi and Hesbon Ochieng from Kenya Prisons will highlight the men's 200m that will also feature Peter Mwai of Police and Samuel Chege from Kenya Defence Forces (KDF).
Also in the 200m mix are Elijah Mathayo and Tazan Kamanga, who will also participate in 100m.
The former 100m and 200m national champion Mike Mokamba from KDF will not be available for the first meeting.
Another Police athlete Mary Moraa, the 2019 African Games 400m silver medallist, will take the blocks in the 400m as she refines for her 800m specialty.
Moraa, the 2019 national 400m champion, is looking forward to the World Athletics Championships due July 15-24 in Oregon, United States.
Moraa, just like the rest heading for the AK meeting, hopes to also participate at the Africa Senior Championships in June 8-12 in Reduit, Mauritius and Commonwealth Games slated from July 28 to August 8 in Birmingham, United Kingdom.
Moraa will take on the likes of Kip Keino Classic 400m champion Maureen Thomas, former 200m national champion Joan Cherono and Veronica Mutua among others.
The 400m national record holder Hellen Syombua isn't ready for the Nairobi event but will be up for the next three weekend meetings.
“We have just picked up training and it will only be wise to test my speed in the 400m before scaling up,” said Moraa, who reached the women's 800m semi-final at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
"Tokyo was just the beginning and I hope for a better season this year," added Moraa.
KDF’s trio of Zablon Ekwam, Boniface Mweresa and Joseph Phogiso and William Ryan and Stanley Kieti from Police are some of the athletes to watch out for in men’s 400m alongside Collins Omae.
World Athletics Under-20 1,500m champion Vincent Keter will highlight men’s 800m with his Rongai Athletics Club’s 2018 Continental Cup 1,500m champion Winny Chebet fielding in women’s 800m.
The 2018 World Under-20 1,500m champion George Manangoi will be looking for endurance in men’s 5,000m final that will go down Saturday at 11.20am.
The women’s final will be held Friday at 12.25pm while the men’s 10,000m going this morning at 8.50am with the women’s final being staged on Saturday at 9.40am.
Kenya Prisons coach Gedion Chrichir and his Police counterpart Isaac Kirwa indicated that most of their top guns in middle and long distance races will take a rest, having participated in the just concluded cross country season. BY DAILY NATION
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