• The Olympic qualification mark for the women’s 10,000m is 30:40.00 and the qualification period closes in June.
•Jepkesho boasts a personal best of 33:01.3 set during the 2015 Kenya Prisons Championships, where she placed third.
Image: TEDDY MULEI
Seoul Marathon bronze medallist Visiline Jepkesho has cited Lilian Kassait and Immaculate Anyango as her biggest opponents in the women's 10,000m during the National Championships scheduled June 6-8.
However, Jepkesho remains determined to clinch the 25-lap event during the meeting. “I hope to win the 10,000m during national championships. However, I expect tough opposition from Kassait and Anyango,” she stated.
In addition to the national title, Jepkesho is also focused on securing an Olympic slot in the 10,000m by lowering her time.
“I want to lower my time in the 10,000m because this will help me in my bid to qualify for the Olympics. It would be a huge privilege to represent my country at the Olympics,” she noted.
The Olympic qualification mark for the women’s 10,000m is 30:40.00 and the qualification period closes in June.
Jepkesho boasts a personal best of 33:01.3 set during the 2015 Kenya Prisons Championships, where she placed third. Jepkesho hopes to build on her recent success at the Prisons Championships, where she clinched the title in 34:02.08.
In case she doesn't succeed on the Olympics front, Jepkesho will feature in various marathons. She said her ambition is to break the women's world record.
In 2015, she placed third at the Paris Marathon, clocking 2:24:44 before coming back in 2016 to clinch the title in 2:25:53. She would later secure a runners-up position at the 2017 Lille Half Marathon clocking 1:08:12.
Her stellar performance on the international stage continued in 2018 when she clocked 2:22:58 to secure the Ljubljana Marathon.
Despite a setback at last year’s Frankfurt Marathon, where she placed seventh (2:26:20), Jepkesho bounced back with a bronze medal at the Seoul Marathon, clocking 2:22:52 on March 17.
Reflecting on her performance, Jepkesho expressed amazement, especially since she had just returned from maternity leave.
“I did not expect a podium finish in Seoul. I had just returned from maternity leave and wanted to use the race to gauge my body. My performance there has given me a lot of inspiration going forward,” she remarked.