Cash prizes, Olympic slots at stake as Kenya holds Games pre-trials

Athletics Kenya have introduced prize money and strict Covid-19 rules at the Tokyo Olympic Games pre-trials that start on Thursday at the Nyayo National Stadium.

The winners in each event will get Sh 6,000 while first and second runners up Sh 5,000 and Sh 4,000 respectively.

Fourth-placed finishers will pocket Sh 3,000 while those coming home in fifth and sixth place Sh 2,000 and Sh 1,000 in that order.

There will be no final in men and women’s 10,000m but instead athletes will compete in different heats with the times being ranked in the three-day championships.

The women’s 10,000m will open the day at 8.30am while the men’s 10,000m race will be staged on Friday starting 12.15pm.

Men’s 5,000m semi-finals on Thursday starting at 11.15am will be held in four heats with the best three per heat and the three fastest losers proceeding to the final due Saturday.

Men’s 1,500m, starting at 1.40pm, will feature five heats where the best two and five fastest losers will make the final due Friday at 10.30am. The women’s 1,500m will also feature two semi-final heats on Thursday at 1.20pm.

Athletics Kenya director of competitions, Paul Mutwii, said that the three-day event will be invite-only and that top six finishers in the final of each event will get cash rewards.

“All athletes and officials will be expected to cater for their own expenses with everyone also expected to strictly adhere to Covid-19 protocols that will be in place,” said Mutwii.

So far, 91 athletes have attained their Olympic qualifying standards including the final team, of eight marathoners, four men and four women.

The latest to hit the qualifying mark is US-based Moitalel Mpoke in men’s 400m hurdles.

“We expect more athletes to hit their respective Olympic qualifying standards before the closure of the qualifying window at the end of June,” said Mutwii.

Olympic javelin silver medallist Julius Yego is the only athlete from field events to have qualified for the Olympics, having surpassed the qualifying mark of 85m during the 2019 African Games in Rabat.

Yego hauled 87.73 m to win gold in Morocco.

Three athletes have now qualified in sprints for Olympics - Mpoke, Hellen Syombua in 400 and 800m specialist Emmanuel Korir all in 400m.

Mpoke, the 2017 World Under-18 400m hurdles silver medallist, attained the Olympics standards when clocked 48.89 seconds to win his 400m hurdles during the South Eastern Conference Outdoor Championships on May 15 at the E.B Cushing Stadium, Texas, United States.

Syombua clocked 51.09 when breaking the national record in 2019 in Nairobi, beating the time of 51.35.

Korir timed 44.37, beating the Olympic mark of 44.90 at the 2019 Doha World Athletics Championships.

Kenya only has three qualifiers in women’s 800m ;2018 World Under-18 800 champion Jackline Wambui (1:58.79), 2013 world 800m champion Eunice Sum (1:58.99) and Emily Cherotich (1:59.23).

 They attained the time during the national trials for the 2019 Doha World Athletics Championships.

Technically, Kenya only has two qualifiers in women’s 1,500m; Olympics 1,500m champion Faith Chepng’etich and 2018 Continental Cup 1,500m champion Winnie Chebet.

The other qualifier, Beatrice Chepkoech, specialises in steeplechase where she is the world 3,000m steeplechase champion and record holder.

The Athletics Kenya panel of coaches are already flirting with the idea of having some athletes doubling up based on the athletics program in Tokyo.

For instance, Chepkoech can take a shot at 1,500m and 3,000m steeplechase and Korir, who can try his luck in 400m and 800m. Korir reached the 400m final but lost in the semi-finals in 800m at the 2019 World Championships in Doha.

Olympic 1,500m champion Faith Chepng'etich could double up in 800m at the Tokyo Olympics.