• Leading the national police senior women’s 10km race is 2022 World silver medallist in the 5,000m Beatrice Chebet.
• “On Saturday, we want all Kenyan’s to rally behind our athletes. We expect a large turnout that will motivate the athletes as they battle for a slot in team Kenya for Serbia,” Miano noted.
Image: XINHUA
The National Police Service will be the team to watch during the national cross country championships slated for Saturday at the Kenya Prisons Staff Training College, Ruiru.
Athletics Kenya will use the championships to select a team for the World Cross Country Championships slated for March 30 in Belgrade, Serbia.
The 2022 world 5,000m silver medallist in the Beatrice Chebet leads a strong Police sextet as she seeks to go all the way to defending her world cross title in Belgrade.
Her profile leaves her the athlete to beat at PSTC. She is the World Athletics Road Running Champion over 5,000m, having clocked 14:35 in Riga, Latvia, last year.
The 23-year-old is also the world 5,000m bronze medallist from Budapest, Hungary, where she clocked 14:54.33.
She is also the Commonwealth Games 5,000m champion from Birmingham, United Kingdom.
She will be joined by 2020 and 2021 national cross country champion Sheila Chelang’at.
Chelangat is a bronze medallist in the 3,000m at the World Youth Championships in Cali, Colombia, clocking 9:04.54.
2018 Valencia 10km champion Sandrafelis Chebet is also in the Police line-up. Betty Chepkemoi, Faith Chelimo, Mercy Jepkorir are also in the fold.
Their fiercest competition will be from the Kenya Defence Forces, led by African Cross Country champion Cynthia Chepng’eno.
Chepng’eno secured a silver medal in the Prague 10km in 2023 clocking 30:45.
Women’s 10km world record holder Agnes Jebet from Central Rift region will seek to complicate things alongside Nairobi’s 2018 Youth 1,500m Olympics champion Edinah Jebitok.
Three-time World Half Marathon champion Geoffrey Kamworor headlines the Police men’s lineup alongside 2019 African Games 5,000m champion Robert Kiprop, 2019 Croatia Half marathon champion Samuel Kiplimo, 2019 Police 5,000m champion Ernest Kimutai and Naibei Kiplimo.
Former world half marathon record holder Kibiwott Kandie headlines the Kenya Defence Forces alongside KDF cross country champion Peter Mwaniki and Dismas Lokira.
They will face stiff competition from Nairobi region’s Ronald Kwemoi, the world junior record holder, and the 2022 national cross country champion Samuel Chebolei.
The relay race will be highlighted by Kenya Prison’s Boaz Kiprugut. The 25-year-old is a silver medallist in the 1,500m at the Africa U20 championships clocking 3:44.78.
2022 World Indoor Champion bronze medallist in the 1,500m Abel Kipsang will be flying the National Police colours.
2016 World U20 1,500m champion Winfred Mbithe will represent the National Police alongside 2010 Youth Olympic Games 2,000m steeplechase champion Virginia Nyambura.
Lydia Jeruto, 2017 World U18 800m champion, will fly the Defence Forces colours.