Close to 70 athletes are expected in residential camp on March 26 as preparations for the Deaflympic Games in Caxias do Sul, Brazil continue to gather pace.
This is as 200 athletes gathered at Nyayo Stadium on Tuesday to battle for tickets to the delayed summer games, set for May 1-15 in the Brazilian coastal city.
In some of the Day One results, Nyandarua's Serah Wangare clocked a season's best of 18:55:04 to win the women's 5000m ahead of Gracy Kendagor, whose 19:08:00 is a personal best.
Three-time Deaflympics 5000m champion Simon Kubai led a 1-2 finish for Uasin Gishu county in the men's 1500m, as Michael Letting and Kisii's Francis Rondi came second and third respectively.
Kubai was also supreme in the men's 5000m, crossing the finish line in 14:07:05.
Sharon Bitok timed 5:00:09 to qualify for the women's 1500m final as Rebecca Matika — who finished seventh behind the former at Lublin, Poland last year — came second in 5:24:09.
The two-day trials are being overseen by the Deaf Athletics Association of Kenya and will also select representatives in field events, such as javelin, discus, high jump, pole vault, hammer, and triple jump.
The national women's football team as well as their male and female basketball counterparts have already qualified for the quadrennial event following the Deaflympic Ball Games qualifiers held in Nairobi in September last year.
The three were given byes to the competition after their respective opponents failed to show up in the capital for the tournament.
