Kenyans out to stop Ugandans

Kenya's Hellen Onsando Obiri wins the final of the women's 5000m athletics event at the 2017 IAAF World Championships at the London Stadium in London on August 13, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Andrej ISAKOVIC

It is expected to be another moment of riveting action when Kenyan charges get down to battle for jewels at Carrara Stadium today.

There are prospects of medal harvest today when Kenyans line up in women’s 5,000m and men’s 1,500m races.

Olympic and world 5,000m champion Hellen Obiri is expected to raise the adrenaline as she leads Margaret Chelimo and Eva Cherono in the 12-lap race.

The trio are expected to stop the Ugandans who snatched the 10,000m title from Kenyans on Monday.

The Kenyans will be seeking to retain the title won by Mercy Cherono in Glasgow in 2014.

Obiri is the strong favourite to add a gold medal to her Olympic and World championships titles and change Kenya’s order in the medal standings.

She made her debut in the 5000m race at the Eugene Diamond League meeting in May in 2016, where she clocked her then Personal Best of 14:32.02 after beating Viola Jelagat and world champion Vivian Cheruiyot.

Obiri, a corporal in the Kenya Air Force, started her career at the 2010 Kenyan Armed Forces Cross Country Championships and her honours include 1,500m bronze at the Moscow in 2013, world indoor 3000m title in 2012 and the 3000m silver at the Sopot 2014 World Indoor Championship.

She will carry her 14:18.37 best mark – the national record – to the starting line against Chelangat (15:09.45), homegirls Madeline Hills (15:04.05) and Cellia Sullohern (15:34.32) as well as New Zealand’s Camile Buscomb (15:19.81) and Ellish Mccolgan (14:48.89).

Melissa Courtney (15:28.95), Uganda’s Juliet Chekwel (15:20.15) and Stephanie Twell (14:54.08) of Scotland are also in the mix.

There are high expectations when world 1,500m champion Elijah Manangoi lead world silver medalist Timothy Cheruiyot and world junior champion Kumari Taki in the final today.

Yesterday, Manangoi (3:46.82) led Jinson Johnson of India (3:47.04), Jake Wightman (3:47.16) of Scotland and England’s Charles Da Vall Grice (3:47.19) in heat two.

Cheruiyot led heat one in 3:42.95 ahead of Ryan Gregson (3:43.06), Taki (3:43.06) and Amine Khadiri (3:44.29).

Manangoi and Cheruiyot will strive to retain the title that James Magut won in Hampden Park Stadium in Glasgow in 2014.

The men’s 4x400m relay team finished second in round one yesterday to qualify for today’s final.

Collins Omae, Boniface Mweresa, Nicholas Bett and Jonathan Kitilit posted 3:13.52 behind Botswana that was anchored by former Olympic silver medallist Nijel Amos.