Waithaka promises b******g battle at National trials, Karoki out
David Macharia
World Under-18 3,000m bronze medallist Stanley Waithaka has predicted an explosive men’s 5,000m race during the National trials slated for September 12-13 at Nyayo National Stadium.
The Nyandarua native says the trials, which will be used to select Team Kenya to the World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar next month, will be a must-watch, more so the 5,000m as it has runners who have some of the best times.
“Among athletes who will be competing are six who have run under 13 minutes and 10 seconds this year,” said Waithaka, who singled out Edward Zakayo, Davis Kiplagat and Mathew Kemei as the top contenders in the race after good performances in the Diamond League.
“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 currently based in Japan.
Waithaka has only run twice in the Diamond League this year, returning under 13:10, the first in Shanghai, China where he ran 13:08 and in Brussels, Belgium where he clocked 13:05.
Since then, he has only run once, at the Golden Games of Japan where he finished third in 5,000m after clocking 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 in relation to his third-place finish at the Golden Games.
In a related development, another Nyandarua athlete in Bedan Karoki has pulled out of the National trials, saying the event coincides with a half marathon in Argentina which he will be featuring in.
“I had committed myself in the half marathon in the South American country and I have to honour it,” said Karoki, who is also based in Japan.
Karoki, who has won silver medals at World Half Marathon and World Cross-Country, is using the shorter version of the race to build up for Chicago marathon.
