Global Elites Set to Light Up Kamariny Meet

Jonathan Komen and Samuel Koech

25 May 2011

Nairobi — More than 2,000 local and elite athletes are expected for the final round of Athletics Kenya/National Bank of Kenya track and field meeting at Kamariny Stadium, Keiyo North, this weekend.

The event, slated for Friday and Saturday, will be headlined by a legion of global track stars.

The meet, which is often billed a mini-national trials, will be an acid test ahead of the national championships-cum-trials for the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Daegu, Korea, in August.

The competition has been moved from Eldoret’s Kipchoge Keino Stadium – which is still under renovation – to the traditional Kamariny Stadium, near Iten Town.

Kipchoge Keino is set to be Kenya’s first tartan track outside Nairobi.

Local AK chairman Daniel Komen said the renovated Kamariny track meets athletics standards and called on athletes to turn up in large numbers.

Komen, the double world record holder – in 3,000 metres indoors and outdoors – and two miles world best, added:

“The meeting comes to the cradle of Kenyan running and since most of the athletes reside here, we expect a high turnout.”

He said all the track and field events will be competed, adding that the renovated stadium was “one of the best”.

The showpiece comes a day before Thursday’s Samsung Diamond League leg in Rome, Italy and the Hangelo Grand Prix meeting where some top athletes will be in action.

Former 10km record holder Micah Kogo and World Cross Country sensation Mike Kigen will be in Hangelo as World 5,000m and Military Games 5,000m and 10,000m title holder Mark Kiptoo lights up Rome.

Tighten their belt

AK North Rift branch vice-chairman Patrick Sang however said: “Athletes need to tighten their belt here in Iten. It is a 2,400-feet altitude track and posting better times is quite challenging.”

Sang, the 1992 Barcelona Olympics steeplechase silver medallist who is a coach at One-4-One camp in Kaptagat, said he was grateful that top runners are taking the series seriously.

“Going by the performances in the previous meetings locally and abroad, our athletes are still within schedule since the struggle for qualifying marks started almost a year ago.

“We expect the best.”

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