Kenya: Triangular to Pick Youth Track Team

Jonathan Komen

6 June 2011

Nairobi — Good action is expected when young and experienced athletes battle at the Triangular Athletics Championships at the Nyayo National Stadium from on Tuesday.

The showpiece will be used to pick Kenya’s team to the Seventh IAAF World Youth Championships in Lille, France, next month, will be a competition between colleges primary schools and secondary schools.

The two-day competition, that ends on Wednesday, will be headlined by a legion of trailblazers among them world cross-country junior champion Faith Jepng’etich and Youth Olympic 3,000m champion Gladys Chesir.

Africa Cross Country Championships junior runner-up Linda Jepkorir and national secondary schools steeplechase runner-up Lilian Chemweno will spice up the water and barriers race.

Albert Kiprop of Nairobi’s Riruta Central School offers a mouth-watering clash against Cyrus Kiprono of St Francis Kimuron Secondary (in Keiyo) in 3,000m race.

Festus Kiprono (3,000m), Norah Jerop (steeplechase) and Viola Jepchirchir of athletics-rich Sing’ore Girls in Keiyo are other stars to watch.

Athletics Kenya vice chairman Paul Mutwii said athletes must produce valid documents that justify their age to be named in the team.

“Those born between 1994 and 1995 will only be picked to the World Youth Championships. But they should be in possession of either a passport or a birth certificate showing that they are either 16 or 17 years old,” Mutwii said on Monday.

The triumphant Kenyan team to the Eastern Regional Youth Championships in Asmara, Eritrea, in April, are also expected to scramble for tickets to the French city of Lille.

Bro Colm O’ Connell, who trains youth and junior athletes in Iten from the North Rift, said the championship will roll out the red carpet to youthful budding runners into competitive running.

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