Southern region leaders have high hopes that a contingent of 20 athletes that will be traveling with to the third leg of Athletics Kenya Cross Country Championships in Ol Kalou will deliver.
After hosting the opening leg successfully two weeks ago at the Machakos People’s Park, the region heads to Nyandarua with high hopes ahead of Saturday's race.
Led by retired athlete Philip Muia, the leaders said they have athletes in each category and they will fly the region’s flag that consists of Machakos, Makueni and Kitui counties.
“We have a good team that we are expecting will deliver at the championships. We are doing this to support young talents from the region,” said Muia.
After finishing fourth at the opening leg in Machakos, Agnes Mumbua will be targeting a win in the senior women’s 10km race.
In 8km junior men's race, Patrick Elisha, who finished second in Machakos will be in the mix as well as Joseph Sila and James Mwanzia.
“These young talented athletes lack the means to such competitions and so we are giving them the opportunity to run in the series to build their careers and names, both locally and internationally,” he said.
Evelyne Syombua, who was fifth at the Machakos meeting will team up with Ann Mwongeli and four others in the 6km junior women race.
“Some of these athletes have been training alone and others in groups in the four counties that make up the Southern Region with hopes of clinching top positions in the weekend meetings,” added Muia.
"We have been liaising with coaches to secure them with means of transport and they have given us a good working environment to take them to Nyandarua."
The cross country meeting kicked off in Machakos, then Iten last weekend. Ol Kalou hosts the third leg before heading to Kapsokwony in Bungoma and end in Sotik, Bomet County a week later.
