Kipsiro, Kiplagat fail World champs qualification

By Norman Katende

Kipsiro’s World Championships performance

Helsinki 2005:  Semi-final 5000m
Osaka 2007: Bronze medal 5000m
Berlin 2009: Fourth 5000m
Moscow 2013: 13th 10000m

Uganda’s most experienced distance runner, Moses Kipsiro, is one of the top names that will be missing this year’s IAAF World Athletics Championships due in Beijing next month, as Uganda entered a list of ten athletes that have qualified for the vent.

Kipsiro and steeplechase athletes Benjamin Kiplagat and Jacob Araptany failed to hit the tight qualifying mark, as a crop of new runners dominated the ten-people list.

Juliet Chekwel, who will be competing in the 10000m event, is the only female on the team.

Kipsiro had thrice tried to hit the qualifying mark but failed in a competitive season, which will also see  Commonwealth Games 800m women bronze medalist Winnie Nanyondo also miss the biennial event, after failing to hit the mark by microseconds.

But the list has Jackson Kiprop, who has gained his full fitness, having qualified in May to join Commonwealth marathon bronze medalist Abraham Kiplimo and Solomon Mutai as Uganda’s representative in the marathon event.

Stephen Kiprotich will be competing in the event as a defending champion.

Kiprop missed out the whole of last season after suffering from a liver infection, which nearly took his life and was admitted at  Mulago Hospital.

New kid on the block Philip Kipyeko will be the only Ugandan runner in the 5000m event, having graduated from the juniors last year.

World Junior 10000m champion Joshua Cheptegei, will also be joined by Moses Kibet, a former junior bronze medalist at the World Cross Country junior championships in Amman 2009.

Also joining him is Timothy Toroitich, an athlete who had a successful start at the cross country season before an injury saw him pull out of the World Cross Country championships in  Guiyang.

Ronald Musagala will be the only athlete competing in the middle distance event. He will be taking part in the 1500m event

“He has fully recovered.  He suffered from a malaria bout but he has now full recovered and has started training,” said
Timothy Masaba of Musagala’s performance.

Most of Uganda’s runners are training in Kaptagat with Juliet Chekwel training in Iten in Kenya.