Wambui pulls out from Kenyan team for Doha Worlds

Gilbert Kiprotich

Eunice Sum will carry Kenyan flag alone in the two-lap race at the upcoming World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar after teammate Jackline Wambui withdrew from the September 27 – October 6 showpiece.

Sum and Wambui were the only athletes in the 800m field named in the team on Friday but the 2013 World champion was listed as the only Kenyan  in the provisional entry list released by the IAAF on Thursday.

Athletics Kenya (AK) Vice President in charge of competitions Paul Mutwii confirmed that Wambui opted out of the team citing injury concerns.

“Wambui said she has an injury and hence we could not do anything. Already the time to submit the names has elapsed and thus we will only have Eunice as our only representative in the race,” Mutwii said.

On the same breadth, Mutwii has disclosed that the fate of 5000m athletes Michael Kibet and Daniel Simiyu will be known on Friday.

The duo who qualified for the Doha extravaganza are anxiously waiting for a communication from IAAF concerning their eligibility to compete in the championships as they were yet to comply with the anti-doping regulations.

AK has already included the fourth-placed athlete Jacob Krop in the squad as a reserve athlete as they wait for the final decision from IAAF.

‘’By tomorrow (Friday) we should be receiving feedback from IAAF on the two athletes. We had contacted them (IAAF) because the duo had not met the anti-doping regulations. We have also called in camp Jacob as a reserve in the team in case the two won’t be added to our team we will remain with two athletes in Doha,” he added.

With close to a week remaining to the biennial event, the selected team has been intensifying training at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani.

The marathon team is expected to leave on September 22 while the remaining group will be travelling on September 24.