Double World Under 20 3,000m steeplechase champion Celliphine Chespol says it is too soon to start dreaming of a medal at the World Championships in Oregon before negotiating the national trials.
Chespol said the competition within the women's 3,000m steeplechase is cut-throat and as such, there is no outright favourite for the ticket to the United States.
"You first have to go through the national trials before you can start dreaming of a podium place in Oregon. For me, I can only rate my chances at the World Championships after securing my place in the team. I am eagerly awaiting my first track competition to gauge myself," Chespol said.
"It is very difficult to predict who will shine in the women's 3,000m steeplechase because there are so many big names. There's Beatrice Chepkoech (world record holder), Fancy Cherono, Jackline Chepkoech (World Under 20 champion) and Hyvin Kiyeng. Furthermore, new talents keep emerging each and every other day."
The 2015 World Under 18 2,000m steeplechase champion has been hard at work in training in Ngong and says she has already noted a lot of improvement.
"My speed has improved compared to last year when I was struggling a bit. I guess I came back from the accident a bit early and this was affecting my performance. However, I can only tell whether I am improving or not once I start running against other runners," she said.
Part of Chespol's calendar of activities includes the Kip Keino Classic and the Diamond League.
The 2017 World Cross Country under 20 bronze medalist spoke of the significance of these competitions to her fight for a ticket to Oregon.
"The Kip Keino Classic is an opportunity to test yourself and identify any weak areas you need to improve on before the World Championships. I also competed in the just-concluded cross country series. However, for the track competitions, I will be running against steeplechase specialists and this is the perfect preparation," she said.
Elsewhere, buoyed by her second-place finish at the Noche de San Anton 10km over the weekend, Eva Cherono says her ultimate goal in 2022 is to represent the country in the 10,000m.
Cherono clocked 32:04 behind Burundian Francine Nyonsaba (32:01) as another Kenyan, Alice Aprot, finished third in 33:49.
"There is quite a rich history behind the World Championships. In July, I want to represent my country at the grand stage. I have another race on Sunday in Valenciennes, France where I also want to do well and try to improve on my goals," the La Route du Louvre 10km champion said.
