AK to hold separate trials for World Cross Country event

Athletics Kenya has made changes to its cross country calendar following stringent visa application timelines set ahead of the World Cross Country Championships due for February 18 next year in Bathurst, Australia.

AK stated that Australia has set December 11, as the deadline to apply for the visas, which takes at least two months to process.

A statement from AK Friday indicated that the changes have forced them to separate the national trials for the World Cross Country Championships and the National Cross Country Championships.

The national trials for the World Cross Country Championships will be held on December 10 at Kenya Prisons Training College in Ruiru, Nairobi.

AK chief administrative officer, Susan Kamau clarified that the date for the National Cross Country Championships will remain as January 21 at the Kenya Prisons Training College, Ruiru.

Initially, the National Cross Country Championships is where the team for the world event was to be picked.

Participation at the trials will strictly be on invitation and that athletes will be picked from all the five cross country weekend meetings and other international competitions.

Consequently, the fifth and final leg of Athletics Kenya Cross Country series that was due for December 10 in Iten, Elgeyo Marakwet County, has been moved to December 3 at the same venue.

“The rest of the cross country events at the counties, regions and institutions will be held as earlier scheduled,” said Kamau with the fourth leg of the Athletics Kenya Cross Country series being held Saturday in Ol Kalou, Nyandarua County.

AK have also introduced the 2 kilometre races for senior men and women at their two remaining legs of the series in Ol Kalou and Iten in view of selecting the mixed relay team for the world event.

The races will be held separately from the mixed relay races in Ol Kalou and Iten but the trials will only feature the 2km races for senior men and women where the team from the world event will be selected.

The first three athletes to cross the finish line in both men and women’s 2km races during the trials will automatically qualify for Australia with the fourth and fifth placed athletes being picked as reserves.

The rest of the program will remain the same at the national trials for the world featuring; women under-20 km, men under-20 8km, senior women 10km and senior men 10km.

During the trials, the first six athletes to cross the finish line, will get automatic places in Team Kenya with the seventh and eighth athletes being selected as reserves.

All athletes invited for trials are advised to come with their passports (Travel Documents) and a Covid-19 vaccination certificate.