Kisii Express Mary Moraa and Beatrice Chebet to light up Kenya Police Championships

ATHLETICS Kisii Express Mary Moraa and Beatrice Chebet to light up Kenya Police Championships

Abigael Wafula 06:21 - 07.06.2023

Commonwealth Games 800m champion Wycliffe Kinyamal will be seeking to defend his crown against a squad of young men.

Commonwealth Games 800m champion Mary Moraa and World Cross-country champion Beatrice Chebet comprise some of the elite athletes set to grace the National Police Service Athletics Championships starting Wednesday, June 7 at the Moi International Sports Center, Kasarani.

Moraa will be competing over her specialty, the 800m, where she will be intentional in maintaining the hot streak that has seen her bag wins in all her outdoor races. She opened her season with a win in the 400m at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix.

Kisii Express then headed to the Kip Keino Classic where she upset visitors to take victory before flooring fellow bigwigs at the Diamond League Meeting in Rabat, Morocco.

Africa 10,000m champion Caroline Nyaga and World Under-20 1500m champion Brenda Chebet will pose as her greatest challengers. Veronica Mutua has also been enrolled in the two-lap race.

In the 5000m race, Chebet will face off against Valentine Mateiko, who seems to be her only threat in the competition. Mateiko finished second at the Copenhagen Marathon in early May and as she returns to the track, she will be hoping for a smooth transition.

On her part, Chebet will be looking to maintain the brilliant form that saw her run away with the senior women’s title at the World Cross-country Championships and later the Kip Keino Classic.

Over the 1500m race, 3000m Steeplechase (SC) world record holder Beatrice Chepkoech will be lining up as a pre-race favourite. The 31-year-old won the Kip Keino Classic 3000m SC title and finished fourth in both the Diamond League Meetings in Doha and Florence.

She will be up against Brenda, Nyaga, and Virginia Nyambura who returned to the track last year. Another athlete to watch out for is Eunice Sum who will also be opening her season.

The women’s 100m race will be a sprint showdown with Monica Safania and Maximilla Imali going head to head. The duo will also be in action in the 200m race.

Meanwhile, Commonwealth Games 800m champion Wycliffe Kinyamal will be seeking to defend his crown against a squad of young men. He finished second at the Kip Keino Classic and Diamond League Meetings in Doha and Rabat.

Abel Kipsang has posted a mixed start to his season and he will be keen to prove a point when he lines up for the 1500m. He started off with a win in the 800m at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix.

However, he failed to defend his 1500m crown at the Kip Keino Classic and unfortunately missed out on a podium finish at the Diamond League Meeting in Rabat.

Daniel Simiu will also be looking for a win when he takes on fellow athletes in the 10,000m race as Abraham Kibiwott chases glory in the 3000m SC.

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