By John Kwoba
NAIROBI, May 18 (Xinhua) -- Kenya will send over 60 athletes to this year's Africa Athletics Championships in Asaba, Nigeria from Aug. 1-5.
Athletics Kenya President Jack Tuwei said here Friday that Kenya will take the event seriously since the top two runners from each discipline will qualify for the IAAF continental Cup scheduled in Ostrava, the Czech Republic on Sept. 8-9.
Kenya finished second overall in the last edition of the championships two years ago in Durban, South Africa, clinching eight gold, eight silver and eight bronze medals. Host South Africa reigned supreme with 33 medals while Nigeria was third with 16 medals.
"The Intercontinental Cup is the biggest competition and we want most of our athletes to qualify. That is why we are keen to have the strongest team selected on merit to travel to Nigeria," Tuwei said.
Top athletes led by World 1,500m champion Elijah Manangoi, 800m Commonwealth winner Wycliffe Kinyamal and Helen Obiri, the Olympic 5,000m silver medalist are all expected to make the cut for the championships.
Kenya will host a national competition in Nairobi in June to select its team to the championships.
"We have changed the dates for the national trials for the African championships. The event that was scheduled for July 5-7 in Nairobi but it will now take place on June 21-23," said Tuwei.
Kenya has taken the decision to push forward the national trials in order to facilitate enough time for the elite runners competing in the Diamond League series to be able to compete at the final stop in Zurich.
"We want to give our athletes a chance to participate at the Zurich Diamond League and compete for the 50,000 U.S. dollar prize money," he added.
Most Kenyan athletes will be in Thika this weekend for the national championships, the last competition prior to the trials.
Olympic bronze and Commonwealth Games 800m silver medalist Margaret Nyairera has confirmed she will compete in the 400m.
According to Tuwei, all the 54 countries and regions from Africa will be represented in Asaba.