Kenya: Jelimo to Showcase Her 800m Prowess At Kamariny

Nairobi Star (Nairobi)

Stanley Magut

26 May 2011

OLYMPIC 800m champion Pamela Jelimo will for the first time this season compete in her specialty during the sixth edition of the Athletics Kenya /National Bank of Kenya weekend meeting starting tomorrow at Kamariny Stadium in Iten.

Jelimo, who took the world by storm in the 2008 season, has been racing in 200 and 400m recently in a bid to build up her speed after her long break.

She has so far competed in three weekend meetings out of six and Kamariny will be her fourth build-up as she focuses on the national championship next month. The manager Barnabas Korir confirmed Jelimo will run in Eldoret meet and hinted that she is keen to make the Kenya team to the World Championships in Daegu, Korea.

“She will try her best to post impressive performance considering that World Championship and All Africa Games are just around the corner,” said Barnabas Korir. The manager said Jelimo has also been invited for the Prefontaine Classic race next month in America and Kamariny race will basically serve as a build-up.

“Jelimo is set to run in America next month and this will be part of her preparations as well as that of All Africa Games and world championships,” he said, adding: “She needs to run in all this races to revive her lost shape. I am happy she is slowly re-discovering her former self and she has the self drive to return to the top,” he said.

The Olympic champion also tried running the 1,500m in Narok in a bid to build on her endurance for the two-lap race but fared badly. “She has not been performing well but I hope these meets will help her return to the global scene again,” he said.

In the women’s 800m, Jelimo is expected to face stiff competition from Helen Kimaiyo of Kibiswet training camp in Eldoret. Kimaiyo won the 800m and 1,500m during the Mumias weekend meeting. Other key events in Eldoret meet will be the men’s 1,500m, 3,000m SC and 10,000m

Athletic Kenya Keiyo branch chairman Daniel Komen said arrangements for the event are complete and they expect a very tough competition.

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