Africa’s finest in track and field are set to rumble in Nairobi during the 17th African Athletics Championships that begin in Nairobi on Wednesday.
A look at the delayed official entry list that was unveiled to the media on Sunday highlights key contests in the most participated edition of the biennial event that has attracted a record 45 countries and 852 competitors.
Ghana’s Aziz Zakari (10.19/20.63) will be the man to beat in the men 100m and 200m dashes as defending champions at both, Nigeria’s Olusoji Fasuba (100m) and South Africa’s Thuso Mpuang (200m) are out of the running.
Zambia’s record holder, Gerard Phiri ranked quickest in Africa over both sprints this season with (10.13/20.57) also not entered for the event, it leaves Zakari, who occupies the number two slot at both races as the quickest entrant.
Nigeria’s trio of Egwero Ogho-Ogene (10.20), Adukwu Benjamin (10.21) and Obinna Metu (10.25) in addition to Egypt’s national record holder, Amr Ibrahim Mostafa Seoud (10.22) who collectively features in the world’s top 50 year list will be the main stumbling block to the Ghanaian sprint star in the 100m dash.
In the 200m, Zakari will come up against Metu (20.66) rated third in the continent, Zimbabwe’s Brian Dzingai (20.68/fourth), Seoud (20.69/fifth) and home runner, Anderson Mureta (20.73/seventh).
In the women’s 100m/200m Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare, who tops the African 2010 charts in both (11.03/22.71) will headline Nairobi 2010 where she faces the task of dethroning compatriot Damola Osayomi from the 100m title and succeeding South Africa’s Isabel le Roux in 200m. Roux will not defend the crown she won in Addis Ababa.
Apart from Osayomi, other entered athletes capable of giving bad blessings to the favourite in 200m include reigning Africa 400m titleholder, Botswana’s Amantle Montsho who has posted 23.05 this season and teammate Endurance Abinuwa.
Mureta comes to his home championships as the top rated African male runner in 400m with 45.22 but has to fend off the attention mostly of Sudan’s Rabah Yousif (45.38) rated just behind him to realise his winning ambition.
In the women’s lap race, Montsho has been peerless among her continental rivals this season and holds the fourth quickest time of the year (50.70) coming to these championships.
Again, she has to contend with Nigeria’s Abugan Shade and Zambia’s Rachel Nachula (Zambia) whom she beat to silver and bronze in Addis in her quest to retain her title she won on her debut at the event.
Just who is capable of supplanting David Rudisha as African champion is one of the most intriguing questions in the men’s 800m.
A formidable cast featuring world champion, Mbulaeni Mulaudzi (South Africa), world indoor gold medallist Abubaker Kaki (Sudan) and teammate Olympics bronze medallist and 2007 worlds gold medallist, Alfred Kirwa is set to challenge Rudisha’s status as continental two-lap title holder.
However, Rudisha comes to his home event unbeaten this season and with a new Africa record of 1:41.51 that elevated him to the second quickest ever at the distance ran last month in Belgium.
It will take an astonishing performance to beat the lanky runner who looks invincible this season.
The women’s two-lap race is shorn of defending champion, Pamela Jelimo (Kenya) who has faded since her barnstorming 2008 season and Caster Semenya (South Africa) who opted out of the Nairobi show after being cleared to compete as a female last month following her gender verification case.
This leaves Osaka 2007 worlds champion and reigning Olympics/World Championships silver medallist, Kenya’s Janeth Jepkosgei as the runaway favourite.
But it will not be a stroll in the park for the athlete nicknamed "Eldoret Express" with Morocco’s Halima Hachlaf (1:58.40, SB), Algeria’s Zahra Bouras (1:59.54, SB) and evergreen Olympics bronze medallist, Hasna Behhassi also from Morocco as key challengers.
The men and women 1500m races will provide captivating contests.
Beijing gold medallist and bookies choice for the top medal, home runner Asbel Kiprop, will find it most difficult to deliver his first African championships.
Compatriots Silas Kiplagat (world leader, 3:29.27) and Nicholas Kemboi (6th, 3:31.52) pose a potent home menace to the bronze medallist (800m) from Addis Ababa.
Morocco’s Amine Laalou, rated second this year (3:29.53), Algeria’s Taoufik Makhloufi (3:32.94) and Ethiopia’s Mekonnen Gebremedhin (3:33.35) are out to depose Kiprop and his teammates from the African men 1500m pedestal occupied in Addis Ababa by Haron Keitany ruled out of this event by injury.
Apart from the 2007 All Africa Games in Algiers where Kiprop came in as a greenhorn, the Olympics champion is yet to win at any event he has entered as overwhelming choice of victory.
He fumbled at the Osaka 2007 and Berlin World Championships last year and was only awarded Olympics gold when Bahrain’s Rashid Ramzi returned a positive test for EPO.
Another Kenyan Olympic champion, Nancy Jebet Lagat comes to Nairobi as the runner to beat in the women’s 1500m after enjoying a season where she has only lost once over the distance.
Keen to reclaim the African title she last won in 2004 Congo Brazzaville edition, Lagat faces the 2008 winner, Ethiopia’s Gelete Burka who has blasted to the world’s second fastest time of the season (3:59.28) in Paris two weeks ago.
Morocco’s national record holder Btissam Lakhoud (3:59.35) who is rising as one of the most formidable Classic Milers in the female circuit is also in the fray.
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Kenya and Ethiopia set for major
showdown in Africa championships
NAIROBI (Xinhua) -- Kenya and Ethiopia are set to renew their legendary rivalry during the 17th CAA African Senior Athletics Championships that get underway on July 28 to Aug 1.
Over the years, the two East African neighbours have dominated long distance running globally in a show of rivalry akin to that of Jamaica and America in the sprints.
In fact it is whispered that the two nations contributed highly to the diminished interest among nations in the World Cross Country Championships that they dominated like the proverbial colossus and which has since assumed biennial status.
Ethiopia competed at home during the last edition before frenzied crowds and this time it will be Kenya’s turn to compete under home support.
Whether the Kenyan crowd will rally behind their stars to a man like their nemesis did two years ago will be confirmed when the games open.
"I have assembled my troops for the big battle and we are raring to go. It is only the starter’s gun that is holding us back before we start harvesting medals," national team coach Stephen Mwaniki told Xinhua at the Chinese-built Kasarani Sports Complex Hostels where the team is residing. "We cannot afford to let down our home fans."
The women’s 10,000-meter race is a must-watch event that will pit Olympic Champion Tirunesh Dibaba against World Champion Linet Masai.
Masai won the event in Berlin in the absence of the Ethiopian running machine who skipped the championships due to an injury.
"It will be a battle of wits with Masai wanting to reaffirm her position as the queen of the event with Dibaba out to prove that the Kenyan holds it courtesy of her absence at the 2009 World Championships," said former World Marathon record holder Paul Tergat.
The 5,000m women’s race will also be a crowd puller that will pit the Kenyan trio led by world champion Vivian Cheruiyot against Dibaba, who will double, and former world champion Meseret Defar.
These two events will have the making of World or Olympic Championship clashes as it is the same runners who race against each other in the finals of the international events.
"The true athletics fan is the person who will turn up at Nyayo Stadium to watch Africa’s best athletes, most of whom they have only being watching on television, battle it out for top honours," says LOC Chairman Isaiah Kiplagat who is also the boss of Athletics Kenya.
In the absence of Olympic and World Champion Kenenisa Bekele, the men’s 5,000m will be a clash between the battle-hardened former world champion Eliud Kipchoge against Kenenisa’s younger brother Tariku.
In a past interview, Kenenisa’s father, Byecha, was quoted saying he will never "allow" Tariku to win over his elder brother when they race against each other.
Whether the younger Bekele will mark his turf this time round in the absence of the "king" is a matter of conjecture.
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Africa Athletics Championships
to kick off with 10,000m final
NAIROBI (Xinhua) -- The Senior Africa Athletics Championship kicks off in Nairobi on Wednesday with a 10,000m final.
Kenya was routed by Ethiopians two years ago when Addis Ababa hosted this championship, as only John Korir was fit enough to claim the fourth place with champion Gebregziabher Gebremariam, Ibrahim Jeilan and Eshetu Wondemu giving Ethiopia a clean sweep.
But the East African nation went back to the drawing board and after two years planning, former World Junior 5,000m silver medallist Mathew Kisorio will be the point man as he leads Geoffrey Mutai and Wilson Kiprop.
"It is not easy to win a slot in the Kenya team. We might be young, but looking at the effort we put in the trials, we are here to stay and this championship, will God willing, help us to cement our place in the team.
"We are ready to show the world we are worthy the medals we will win," said Kisorio.
Kisorio, who has a personal best time of 27:15.44 set in Utrecht, said he eyes to improve it but he has only been able to run 27:28.13 when he finished second to Kiprop.
However, Ethiopia too has changed the game plan.
The entire three medallist in 2008 have been axed and they give the chance to Olympic 10,000m Sileshi Sihine to redeem his career having been out for a long time. Alongside Sihine, Ethiopia will also rely on Kende Ademe, Mesfin Alemu, Jarso Kintra.
With the two bigwigs marking out each other, Uganda and Eritrea will seek to play the spoilers role and have its athletes sneak into the medal bracket.
Uganda, who arrived in the country on Monday, has picked on Moses Kipsiro, the winner in Bambous, Mauritius in 2006, Stephen Kiprotich and Geoffrey Kusuro.
Kipsiro, who missed the championship in Addis Ababa, has been in great form and has set a personal best time of 28:03.46 while winning in Bambous.
With his eyes set on making Uganda’s team to the Commonwealth Games, Kipsiro is lustful to reclaim his title, but Uganda’s national champion Kusuro will be playing out the pace setter’ s role.
For Eritrea, there will be Teklemariam Medhin, Kidane Tadasse and Samuel Tsegay.
Kenya’ s national head coach Stephen Mwaniki remained optimistic, the athletes have done enough in training and it is upon them to display their potential on the track.
"I have assembled my troops for the big battle and we are raring to go. It is only the starter’s gun that is holding us back before we start harvesting medals. We cannot afford to let down our home fans," he said.
These 10,000m men have the recipe of World Championship or Olympic Games.
Though there is the absence of Olympic and World Champion Kenenisa Bekele, Moses Masai, Micah Kogo and Samuel Kitwara, the class of athletes have proved their worth and the fans will be treated to a tactical and fast paced race.
Kenya’s upstart, Wilson Kiprop holds the fastest time over the 10,000m race at the Nyayo National Stadium, which is a high altitude venue at 27:26.93, which he set while winning the Kenyan trials.
However, he has to replicate the same consistence in Wednesday’s race if he has to keep his dreams of a medal in the championship alive.
