Kiprop faces axe
Feb 16, 2009
FORMER world junior cross-country medallist Boniface Kiprop’s place on the national men’s athletics team is not assured following his recent poor form.
By Norman Katende
FORMER world junior cross-country medallist Boniface Kiprop’s place on the national men’s athletics team is not assured following his recent poor form.
Doubts about Kiprop’s form were not helped by his failure to compete at the MTN National Cross-Country Championships last Saturday. Kiprop told officials that he was injured.
It is the third consecutive year Kiprop has skipped the qualifiers. After winning two silver and one bronze medals as a junior, his record assured him of a place in the last two senior teams despite not competing in the local qualifiers.
“We are going to meet over the matter,†is all that Faustin Kiwa, the athletics federation organising secretary said after Kiprop did not show up in Kapchorwa.
Kiprop has failed to match the form that saw him dominate at cross-country junior level and later win the Commonwealth Games 10000m gold in Melbourne in 2006.
The athletics technical committee meeting is set for Friday and a team to the World Cross-Country Championships on March 28 in Amman, Jordan, will be named.
The top four at the national championships last weekend booked their places to Amman.
One place remains and Kiprop is likely to be dropped for a crop of talented young runners who set the pace in Kapchorwa. James Chebet who was fifth, Ben Siwa (sixth) and Benjamin Kiplagat (seventh) will be considered. Also in the reckoning is Isaac Kiprop despite having failed to finish.
Kiplagat was coming off a bout of malaria while Isaac Kiprop’s failure to finish was blamed on exhaustion, as he had a week before, competed in a race in Puerto Rico.
Uganda has a strong history in cross-country running with the junior team finishing third and earning bronze in Scotland last year. The senior men’s team finished fifth.
Runners who secured automatic places last weekend.
Junior women:
Juliet Chekwel, Viola Chemos, Phemmy Chaekwemoi and Annet Negesa.
Senior women:
Adero Nyakisi, Jane Suuto, Annet Chelangat and Catherine Webombesa
Junior men:
Moses Kibet, Bernard Chetoich, Ronald Kiproitich and Timothy Toroitich
Senior men:
Moses Kipsiro, Geoffrey Kusuro, Stephen Kiproitich and Nicholas Kiprono
FORMER world junior cross-country medallist Boniface Kiprop’s place on the national men’s athletics team is not assured following his recent poor form.
Doubts about Kiprop’s form were not helped by his failure to compete at the MTN National Cross-Country Championships last Saturday. Kiprop told officials that he was injured.
It is the third consecutive year Kiprop has skipped the qualifiers. After winning two silver and one bronze medals as a junior, his record assured him of a place in the last two senior teams despite not competing in the local qualifiers.
“We are going to meet over the matter,†is all that Faustin Kiwa, the athletics federation organising secretary said after Kiprop did not show up in Kapchorwa.
Kiprop has failed to match the form that saw him dominate at cross-country junior level and later win the Commonwealth Games 10000m gold in Melbourne in 2006.
The athletics technical committee meeting is set for Friday and a team to the World Cross-Country Championships on March 28 in Amman, Jordan, will be named.
The top four at the national championships last weekend booked their places to Amman.
One place remains and Kiprop is likely to be dropped for a crop of talented young runners who set the pace in Kapchorwa. James Chebet who was fifth, Ben Siwa (sixth) and Benjamin Kiplagat (seventh) will be considered. Also in the reckoning is Isaac Kiprop despite having failed to finish.
Kiplagat was coming off a bout of malaria while Isaac Kiprop’s failure to finish was blamed on exhaustion, as he had a week before, competed in a race in Puerto Rico.
Uganda has a strong history in cross-country running with the junior team finishing third and earning bronze in Scotland last year. The senior men’s team finished fifth.
Runners who secured automatic places last weekend.
Junior women:
Juliet Chekwel, Viola Chemos, Phemmy Chaekwemoi and Annet Negesa.
Senior women:
Adero Nyakisi, Jane Suuto, Annet Chelangat and Catherine Webombesa
Junior men:
Moses Kibet, Bernard Chetoich, Ronald Kiproitich and Timothy Toroitich
Senior men:
Moses Kipsiro, Geoffrey Kusuro, Stephen Kiproitich and Nicholas Kiprono