Hellen Obiri will be seeking to win a first Commonwealth Games gold
NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 13 -World 5000m champion Hellen Obiri has put her World Indoor performance behind her back and has now shifted attention to making amends at the Commonwealth Games scheduled for Gold Coast, Australia from April 4-15.
Obiri missed out on the 3000m medal bracket at the 2018 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Birmingham after finishing fourth in 8:49.66 behind winner Genzebe Dibaba of Ethiopia who won the race in 8:45.05 ahead of silver medallist Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands while Briton Laura Muir took bronze.
Speaking to Capital Sport, Obiri, who blamed lack of speed for the loss, has vowed to make a statement at the Commonwealth Games, where she will be out searching for her first ever gold medal at the multi-sport event, as she intends to compete in 5000m distance.
“Now it’s going back to the drawing board, I will go back to train hard after losing out on a medal in Birmingham. Commonwealth Games is around the corner so I will go correct my mistakes and focus on winning gold in Gold Coast,” Obiri said.
Hellen Onsando Obiri of Kenya crosses the finish line to win gold in the Women’s 5000 metres final during day ten of the 16th IAAF World Athletics Championships London 2017 at The London Stadium on August 13, 2017 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images for IAAF)
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Obiri, who has an Olympic silver medal in the 5000m, admitted that Dibaba had more endurance than her especially in the final three laps where the Kenyan lacked the kicking power.
“The race started slower and that gave the 1500m ladies an advantage because I was not responding well. My body was not responding because when you are used to run faster and then come to a slower race you struggle, it was a bad day in office,” the 28-year-old stated on the loss.
He added, “It is my first time to lose a medal since 2012 so I will go back home and train seriously like last year. This year I have been doing a lot of cross country, I have not focused on track and that’s why I did not have reaction and speed, but I will work on it.”
