Athletics Kenya will use the Prefontaine Classic Diamond League set for 5th next month in the USA, to select teams to represent the country in the 5,000m women’s and 10,000m men’s events at the 20th World Athletics Championships in Tokyo this September.
It will be the 2nd year in a row that AK is using the Diamond League to select teams for major championships after selecting the 10,000m team for both men and women in a similar event for the Paris Olympics last year.
Beatrice Chebet set the new world record of 28:54.14 in 10,000m during last year’s trials for the Olympics conducted at the Prefontaine Classic Diamond League in Eugene .
Kenya last won a World Athletics gold medal in 10,000m men in 2001 in Edmonton, Canada, through Charles Kamathi, while Faith Kipyegon, bagged gold in 5,000m at the 2023 Budapest World Athletics Championships.
However, AK has clarified that the rest of the teams for long distances at the Tokyo championships will be conducted in Nairobi during the national trials set for 14th and 16th next month.
By Dismas Otuke
