Kenyan athletes are expected to face off with former Kenyan runners who have switched their allegiance to other nations at next month’s World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan.
With galaxy of talents from middle to long distance running, majority faces the challenge of earning a slot to represent their motherland and fly the country’s flag.
With the championships set to start from September 13th to 21st, newly crowned world 3000m steeplechase record holder Winfred Yavi will be taking on Faith Cherotich, the Olympic Games 3,000m steeplechase bronze medalist.
At 20, Cherotich will be against other former Kenyans like Norah Jeruto and her young sister Daisy Chepkemei now Kazakhstan’s
Betsy Saina, who once represented kenya will now fly the American flag in Tokyo in marathon, just like Lonah Chemtai Salpeter, who will be running for Israel and will take on former Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir.
Former 1,500m World champion Timothy Cheruiyot, former Under-20 champion Reynold Cheruiyot and Phanuel Koech will take on Kenyan born turned American Jonah Koech
They enter into the books of former 3000m steeplechase world record holder Saaeed Shaheen born Stephen Cherono, Wilson Kipketer (Denmark), Lornah Kiplagat (Netherlands)