NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 20 – Athletes competing at this weekend’s Athletics Kenya Track and Field Weekend Meet at Nyayo Stadium will have the chance to improve on their rankings and have their records ratified by World Athletics.
This is after the sport’s national governing body, AK, enlisted the event as a World Athletics Competition Ranking and part of WA’s Global Athletics calendar.
In a statement released by its communication department on Monday, the federation said the results of the different categories of competition at the event will be used by WA for statistical purposes.
“AK has entered this meet to the World Athletics Competition ranking. This means that the results can be used by World Athletics for statistical purposes, such as entry standards, World Ranking, Top List, Records, etc. The event now features on the World Athletics Global Calendar,” the statement reads.
Additionally, this weekend’s track and field competition will double up as national trials for the Under 18 and Under 20 East African Regional Championships set for March 10-11 in Dar-es Salaam, Tanzania.
The final team of 31 athletes will be picked and named by a panel of selectors with some fast-rising athletes expected to feature.
“Among the juniors who put a strong performance in the first leg and are probable to make the national team for the regional championships are Kenya Primary School Games 100m record holder Selpha Ajiambo, Nyanchoka Machoka of St Peter’s Keberesi and Nelly Chepchirchir, the winner of the 1500m race in Kisumu,” the federation said.
On matters anti-doping, AK encouraged as many athletes as possible to register for the event so as to undergo tests ahead of the national trials for the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
This year’s meet is expected to attract record number of competitors like last year’s edition where an outpouring of sprinters in the event forced organisers to stage 17 heats in the men’s 100m.
