Kenyan Distance Stars Arrive In Australia
10th January 2000
ATHLETICS AUSTRALIA PRESS RELEASE
The best single collection of distance runners to visit Australia will
arrive in Melbourne tomorrow, Monday 10 January, in preparation for the
Optus Grand Prix Series and Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
Headlined by 1997 World and 1998 Commonwealth Champion Daniel Komen, the world's second fastest ever miler Noah Ngeny and Olympic Champion (3000m Steeplechase) Joseph Keter, the Kenyan group will use the Australian summer as a training and competition camp.
Komen holds the World Record for 3000m (7:20.67) and 2 Miles (7:58.61), and has held the World Record twice at 5000m.
Ngeny was second behind Hicham El Guerrouj at last year's World Championships at 1500m and also has recorded the extraordinary time of 3: 43.40 for the mile. He holds the World Record for 1000m set last year (breaking Seb Coe's long standing mark) and the unofficial World Record for the fastest ever lap of the Tan Track in Melbourne.
The all-star group also includes some of the world's best 800m runners. World junior champion William Chirchir has a personal best of 1:43.33 which ranked him sixth in the world in 1999. Fred Onyancha was the 1996 Olympic Games bronze medallist and has a personal best of 1:42.79 which places him 10th all-time in the world. David Kiptoo was an Olympic finalist in 1996 and has a personal best of 1:43.38.
1500m specialists David Leilei and Sammy Mutai who were both ranked in the world's top 20 for 1999 are also amongst the Kenyan to train and compete here this summer.
Also returning to Australia will be a couple of Kenya's finest long distance runners, Luke Kipkosgei and Joseph Kimani. Both are former winners of the Zatopek 10,000m with Kimani winning in 1995 and Kipkosgei from 1996 to 98. Kimani set the Australian Allcomers Record for 5000m during 1996 but now Kipkosgei holds them for 3000m, 5000m and 10,000m
The Kenyan group will provide Australia's distance runners with world-class competition in events including the 800m, 1500m, 5000m, 10,000m and 3000m Steeplechase throughout the 2000 Optus Grand Prix Series.
END OF RELEASE.
This information has been provided by Athletics Australia.
Suite 22, Fawkner Towers, 431 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, Australia
Phone: 61 3 98203511 Fax: 61 3 9820 3544 Email: athletics@athletics.org.au Web: http://www.athletics.org.au
Athletics Australia is proudly sponsored and supported by Telstra, New Balance, Ansett, TNT, Mannatech, Australian Olympic Committee, Australian Commonwealth Games Association and the Australian Sports Commission.
