Tanzania national athletics team arrived in Warsaw, Poland yesterday for the 40th World Cross-Country championship set for tomorrow.
Led by head coach John Bayo, the four-team underwent a light training in Warsaw ahead of a special opening ceremony to be held in Bydgoszcz this morning.
Tanzania will field four athletes in the event. The runners are Dickson Marwa, Doto Ikangaa, Damian Chopa and Faustin Tiva.
Team coach Bayo told The Citizen on Saturday by phone from Warsaw that his runners were physically and tactically ready to compete against the world’s best.
Tomorrow, the world’s best distance runners will need not only superior stamina to win medals at the global championship, but will also have to demonstrate excellent technique and acrobatic skills to maintain their balance on the challenging course.
Like in 2010, the event will take place in the Forest Park of Culture and Leisure, Poland’s largest city park, situated on the edge of the city of Bydgoszcz in northern Poland.
The course is an undulating 2km loop on grassy terrain which can get muddy and slippery after rain.
Kenya and Ethiopia are the most successful countries in the history of the world cross-country championships, winning 119 of the 158 available team titles.
The two countries have met 120 times where both have fielded full teams, with Kenya beating Ethiopia 78-42.
However, that will count for nothing when they parade their athletes at the Myslecinek Park arena for the eagerly awaited championship.
Kenya will parade a squad of 24 athletes with only three returning to the city after their show in 2010. They are Chebet, Faith Chepng’etich, the world junior champion, and Margaret Wangare.
African runners should have it tougher than at flat grass courses in the past years. But they also showed their abilities in snow and mud in the history of the event.
Entry lists are confirming in total 456 runners from 47 countries and regions for the four races.
NMG
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