World 5000m silver medalist Margaret Chelimo hopes to compete in the women's 10,000m rather than the 12-and-a-half laps race at the World Championship in Oregon this year.
Chelimo described the new development as a change in strategy as far as her career is concerned.
"This time I want to run in the women's 10,000m and not 5,000m as I have been used to. The immediate focus is to book my ticket to Oregon during the national trials and afterward come up with a target for the main event," the Valencia Ibercaja 10km champion said.
Chelimo timed 14:27.49 in Doha in 2019 behind Olympic 5000m silver medalist Hellen Obiri and was expected to push the double world champion to the limit during this year's edition in the United States.
Two weeks ago, the newly-crowned Istanbul Half Marathon champion expressed her intentions to defend her title for the third successive time despite shifting her attention to the road races.
Nonetheless, Chelimo says her training regime has gone so well and inspired her decision to focus on the 25-lap race.
"The training has gone so well and this motivates me each and every day. The intensity has been high and my training has gone a notch higher. There are a number of upcoming competitions and this will be an opportunity for me to test myself," she said.
Some of the competitions Chelimo is eyeing include the Kip Keino Classic in May as well as the Diamond League series.
"The Kip Keino Classic is one of the first international track events and it is from there that I will put into practice what I have been doing in training. I will be running in the 5000m and will try my best just like last year. I have been working on my speed and I want to see whether I have progressed or not," Chelimo, who has been training in Kapsabet, said.
The 2019 FBK Games 5000m champion added: "I also expect to compete in the Diamond League where I will be running in the 3000m and 5000m. Overall, I am happy with my preparations so far. I also ran cross country to gain endurance. You've got to compete consistently against others to gauge yourself."
