Caleb Ndiku Mwangangi.PHOTO/FILE
NAIROBI, February 23 – World Indoor 3,000m champion Caleb Mwangangi and former silver medallist Augustine Choge will lead Kenya’s squad to next month’s world indoor championship in Portland, United States.
Mwangangi and Choge are the only two runners in the 11-member squad to have previously competed at the world indoors, with the rest all set to make their debut in the March 17-20 championships.
Mwangangi won Kenya’s sole gold medal two years ago in Poland, while Choge, who took a 3,000m silver medal in 2012, earned automatic qualification following his success in the inaugural IAAF world indoor tour season.
Choge was one of the six male individual event winners in the four-race series which ended in Glasgow last Saturday.
It was at the same meeting that fellow Kenyan, Nancy Chepkwemoi claimed her maiden win in the women’s 3,000m, and attained the world indoor qualifying time.
The other members of the Kenyan team include London Olympic 800m bronze medallist Timothy Kitum and Isiah Koech, a 5000m bronze medallist at the 2013 world championships in Moscow.
Kenyan team:
Men
800m: Timothy Kitum, Nicholas Kiplagat
1500m: Vincent Kibet, Bethwell Birgen
3000m: Augustine Choge, Caleb Mwangangi, Isiah Kiplangat Koech
Women
800m: Margaret Nyairera, Viola Cheptoo Lagat
3000m: Nancy Chepkwemoi, Betsy Saina
