NAIROBI, Kenya, May 4- Kenya’s former Olympic champion Pamela Jelimo is keen to bury the disappointment of finishing fourth in her 800m title defence in London as she targets to make the finals of the World Championships for the first time in Moscow.
Jelimo, who was dethroned by Russia’s Mariya Saminova last summer, is keen to make an impression at the biennial global showpiece after bombing out of the 2009 edition in Berlin at the semi-finals and missing out on Daegu altogether two years ago.
“My main focus is Moscow. Last year I was in great shape for sure and it was a small error. I have to work really hard and see who will be running and apply tactics to run a good race,” the world women’s 800m indoor record holder said Friday after competing and qualifying for the finals of 400m at the last AK/NBK Track and Field weekend meeting in Nairobi on Friday.
Jelimo added she was also out to run quick times reminiscent of the standards she set in her breakthrough season where she won 13 out of 13 races she entered in 2008, setting the world junior record of 1:54.01 in the process.
“Of course, the main objective is to run a fast race. So many athletes are looking forward to running fast. With hard training everything, including beating that (her PB) is possible,” said Jelimo, who ran 57.7 to finish second to Commonwealth medallist Maureen Jelagat.
The Beijing Olympics champion failed to finish her semi-final at the 2009 Worlds in Germany when a knee injury saw her pull out with 600m gone.
The injury locked her out of the subsequent 2010 and 2011 campaign as she struggled to regain her imperious 2008 shape that saw the athlete crush all competition ahead of her, rising to the Olympics and the defunct IAAF Golden League crowns in addition to the continental title.
“I have learnt a lot about my career since and I can only build-up being better. Missing Olympics gold was another disappointment but I still have time,” Jelimo stressed.
She lost out the gold in London when she set out to break 350m from the line which was a tactical oversight that saw her ran out of steam over the last 100m allowing her rivals to occupy the podium ahead of her.
