Organisers of World Cross Country Tour grappling with huge number of athletes interests as deadline looms
A day to the deadline of entries for the Memorial Agnes Tirop World Cross Country Gold Tour planned for February 12 at Lobo Village, Eldoret, organisers are overwhelmed by requests by athletes to be part of the event.
Race director Barnaba Korir said the entries will have to be stopped as focus shifts to preparing for the main event and logistical set up.
“We are glad the venue was intentionally tested during the national championships recently. This was to ensure the field meets all the international standards to host an event of such a magnitude,” said Korir.
The AK official said there will however be slight changes especially at the finish line and mixed zone for media, concerns that were noted last month during the dry run.
“The changes are minor but which are aimed at making the event a success. With athletes starting to arrive especially the foreigners, we want to do everything we can to give them a world class feeling before and during the event,” he added.
World Athletics introduced the World Cross Country Tour last year comprising 20 events including Memorial Agnes Tirop Classic World Cross Country Tour.
Foreign athlete
Lobo event is named in the memory of the 2015 World Cross Country champion Agnes Tirop who was murdered last October.
Meanwhile,2015 World Cross Country Championships senior women’s silver medallist, Senbere Teferim, Dolshi Tesfu, Wilfred Mutile, Serkalem Mekonnen and Esther Chebet are some of the foreign athlete who have been confirmed for the one day meeting. Kenyan-born Norah Jeruto of Kazakhstan, who is fresh from winning the Discovery Cross Country in Eldoret on Sunday, and Ukrainian duo of former national 5,000m champion Yuliya Shmatenko and Victoria Kolchyk will also compete.
They join world record holder and Tokyo Olympics 10,000m bronze medallist, Letesenbet Gidey from Ethiopia, who had confirmed participation earlier last month.
Gidey holds world records in 5,000m (14:06.62), 10,000m (29:01.03) and Half marathon (1:02:52).
The men’s 10km senior race has Uganda’s Joel Ayeko, Turkey 3,000m steeplechase champion Hilal Yego, Hendrik Pfeiffer and Nic Ihlow from Germany and Great Britain’s Alex George and Yemane Haileselassie, Eritrea’s national 3,000m steeplechase record holder.
The foreign athletes will come up against top Kenyan athletes including two-tome World Cross Country champion Geoffrey Kamworor.
According to the organizers, six other races will support the main men and women’s 10km races.
They include, the girls and boys’ 1km races.Girls’ Under-18 5km and Boys’ Under-18 km races and the the women’s Under-20 6km and men’s Under-20 8km races.
The women’s 10km race will start at 3pm with the men’s 10km showstopper planned 3.40pm.
