Three times World1500m champion, Asbel kiprop will kick-start his season in the 10km Senior Men’s Race at the third leg of Athletics Kenya Iten Cross Country Championships scheduled for Saturday 2, 2024 at the Iten Sports Grounds in Elgeyo Marakwet County.
The 35 year-old who is targeting to get a slot in team Kenya for the next year’s World Athletics Championships slated to begin from 13 – 21 September 2025 in Tokyo, Japan, will use this race to gauge his body which he terms as heavy.
While speaking exclusively on phone with Athletics News, the Beijing Olympic 1500m champion said, “I will be competing in Iten in readiness for the new season and also get ready to represent my employer the Kenya Police Service (KPS) in the championships.”
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“I will be competing in this championships to gauge my heavy body and shake off some weight as part of my preparations for the coming season which I will fully participate as my main target is set for a team Kenya slot in the 5000m race, said Asbel.
Kiprop who is currently based in Nairobi after his posting at the Langata Police Station as the Officer Commanding Station (OCS) was in Iten to pick his running bib and was in great spirit as he contemplates on his new season where he is shifting from the his usual 1500m race to 5000m as he also readies his body for the roads in the near future.
“My target for the coming season is to compete in the 5000m race with the aim of making to team Kenya for World Championships in Tokyo and thereafter to shift for the roads,” said the former African champion.
Kiprop who is targeting to compete in at least four Cross Country championships, is coming to the Home of champions with an aim of keeping shape and gaining endurance.
The 2008 All-Africa Games 1500m champion will face-off with the World U20, 5,000m champion Andrew Alamisi, who will be targeting a second victory after taking the top honors last weekend at the second leg of AK Cross Country meet in Bungoma.
Athletics Kenya Competitions Director, Kennedy Tanui says that they are expecting a huge number of athletes to turn up but as an office, they are prepared and have the capacity to handle the athletes.
Tanui urged the athletes to finalize collecting their bib numbers on Friday by 1800hrs because they risk being locked out of competition on Saturday.
“All athletes are required to pick their bibs today (Friday) at 6:00pm, failure to do that, you will automatically be a spectator,” said Tanui.
