Two-time world 5,000m champion Helen Obiri will not defend her world cross country title next year in Australia.
Instead, she will be targeting glory at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in what will be her final race on the track.
Obiri said with a congested calendar next year, she will prioritise Tokyo Olympics.
“For me, Olympic Games is my priority next year. I am targeting to win gold and I want to give it my all without the distractions of other events in the build-up,” added Obiri.
She was, however, non-committal whether she will double up in Tokyo. “It’s too early to say whether I will double up or not. Once we get into the new year, I will start looking at the possibilities,” he added.
The world cross country will be held in Bathurst, Australia in March next year.
Obiri said she has already started light training for the Tokyo Olympics but she will run a couple of Diamond League races before shifting to her focus to the games in July.
“My programme is well structured and planned for 2021 and cross country will be tricky because of the weather,” added Obiri.
Following the Olympics. the Commonwealth Games 5,000 metres champion said she intends to move to road races after Olympics.
“The Tokyo Olympics will be my last track event because I want to move to road races and pave way for young athletes to prove their worth on track,” she added.
Obiri won silver in the 5,000m in the last Olympic Games in Rio four years ago, behind Vivian Cheruiyot. The Olympics gold medal is the only medal missing from her glittering resume.
Obiri has had stellar career on the track, also winning Africa 1,500 metres in Marakesh in 2015 and 5,000m in Asaba, Nigeria in 2018.
She also bagged 3,000m gold during the World Indoor Championships in Istanbul, Turkey in 2012 and was also part of the team that bagged 4x 1,500m gold at the World Relay Championships in Nassau, Bahamas in 2014.
