Athletes drawn from the six sub-counties in Kericho County will participate in the County Cross Country Championship that will be held at the University of Kabianga in Belgut Constituency on Saturday, 27th January 2024.
Over 400 participants will compete in the tournament which will see the top 30 athletes selected to represent Kericho County in upcoming athletics championships this year.
Speaking to Kenya News Agency Kericho County Athletics Kenya (AK) Vice Chairman Gabriel Kiptanui who also doubles as the coach expressed confidence that the participants will stage a great performance in the tournament having trained rigorously.
Mr. Kiptanui urged the government to expedite the renovation of the Kiprugut Chumo Stadium to enable athletes to carry out their training sessions.
“For now, we are using the Kerenga Airstrip for athletes’ training sessions as we await the re-carpeting of the stadium’s tartan track which is an all-weather synthetic surface made of polyurethane that is suitable for track and field competitions,” added Mr. Kiptanui.
He said he is currently training a total of 35 athletes, 10 of whom are top-rated athletes who are expected to represent the country in different international competitions this year.
In an interview with KNA, Gold medalist Daniel Munguti expressed optimism that he would conquer upcoming 2024 competitions including the 19th edition of the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland in March.
“I hope to qualify for this year’s competitions, I look forward to participating in the World Indoors and so I am working very hard so that I can get the qualifications and be among those to represent our country,” Munguti said.
By Kibe Mburu and Sharon Chepkurui