Karoki to miss Doha World Championships

Bedan Karoki will skip Athletics Kenya's National Championships due to prior commitments in Argentina.

The National Championships, slated for August 20-22, will see the federation select the men and women’s 10,000m teams for the World Championships planned from September 28- October 6 in Doha, Qatar.

Speaking from his training base in Nyahururu, Karoki - who was to feature in the 10,000m race - said he will be running a half marathon in Argentina when the National Championships will be taking place in Nairobi.

“I had committed myself in the half marathon in the Argentina and I have to honour it,” he said.

Karoki, a silver medallist at the 2016 World Half Marathon and 2015 World Cross Country, said he is building up for Chicago marathon by running half marathons. He is also eyeing a slot in Kenya's marathon team for next year’s Tokyo Olympics.

Karoki is seeking to run a good time in Chicago in October to boost his chances of being in the Olympic team that is likely to be named early next year.

Meanwhile, World Under-18 bronze medallist Stanley Waithaka of Nyandarua believes the 5,000m race of the World Championship trials in September will be explosive.

Waithaka, who has upped his training in Nyahururu in readiness for the competition, said the high number of runners with good times this year who will be taking part in the men's race makes the event to be among those that will be hotly contested.

“Among the runners who will be competing are six athletes who have ran under 13 minutes and 10 seconds this year,” said Waithaka.

He listed Edward Zakayo, Davis Kiplagat and Mathew Kemei among the top contenders in the race because they have returned good results in Diamond League races this year.

“They should not write me off because I have not run many races in the Diamond League, I will also be in the mix,” added Waithaka, who is now based in Japan.

Waithaka, who hails from Ndaragwa Sub County, has only competed twice in the Diamond League returning under 13:10 - 13:08 in Shanghai, China and 13:05 in Brussels, Belgium.

Since then he has only participated in one race, the 5,000m at the Golden Games of Japan where he finished third in 13:15.

“I had suffered cold which curtailed my training since I was kept in isolation for two weeks and only ventured out four days to the games,” Waithaka said.

AK Tuesday pushed the trials for the World Championships from this month to September 12-13 at the Nyayo National Stadium.

A statement from AK indicated that the National Championships that was to coincide with the trials from August 20-22 will go on as scheduled.