Athletics Kenya names team for world half marathon championship
12/9/2008 17:31
Kenya's Olympic marathon champion Samuel Wanjiru will lead a strong team
to the IAAF World Half Marathon Championship to be held in Rio de Janeiro on
October 12.
Wanjiru, the fastest man in the world over the distant with a
time of 59.33 minutes, was yesterday named by Athletic Kenya in a team of seven
men and seven women to represent the country in this annual international road
event.
Six of the seven runners in the men's team have run under an hour
including Patrick Musyoka with an impressive personal best of 58.56 last year,
Francis Larabar (personal best of 59.26) and Stephen Kibiwot
(59.54).
Wanjiru, Musyoki and Larabal were in the Kenya squad that won the
team title last year, when the event was known as the World Road Running
Championship.
"We picked the team according to their IAAF ranking and will be
going out to defend our titles," AK public relations officer Peter Angwenyi
said.
He appealed to the named athletes to confirm their availability by
today next week. Five men and five women will travel to Brazil for the
championship.
According to the Daily Nation today, the women's field is no
less impressive with Philes Ongori the fastest at 67.57, well known Pamela
Chechumba who won the Bogota Half Marathon in July and Olympian Penninah Arusei
all named in the team.
Last year's championship was won by Kenyan born Dane
Lorna Kiplagat in a time of 66.25. Kenya has won the overall men and women team
titles for the last two years.
Kenya team:
Men - Samuel Wanjiru, Patrick
Musyoki, Joseph Nganga, Mekubo Mogusu, Elijah Keitany, Stephen Kibiwott, Francis
Larabar.
Women -Philes Ongori, Penninah Arusei, Julia Muraga, Pamela
Chepchumba, Lenah Cheruiyot, Philomena Cheyech, Paline Wangui.
Xinhua
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