This archive report was first published on 4 July 2019.
Kenya Defence Forces Athletics Championships concluded on Thursday at Kasarani, with Hellen Obiri emerging victorious in the 10,000m event, marking her maiden title in the discipline.
Obiri, a world champion in the 5,000m event, dominated the field before breaking clear to win in 31 minutes and 43.0 seconds. Her impressive performance came after a string of challenging races, including a 12th-place finish in the 5,000m event in Stockholm on May 20 and a sixth-place finish in the 3,000m event at the Prefontaine Classic in California, USA, last Sunday.
Obiri's victory was a welcome return to form for the athlete, who had hinted at her intentions to compete in the World Championships in Doha, Qatar, from September 28 to October 6. She expressed her desire to go for a double in the championships, citing her maiden 10,000m title as a significant milestone.
Obiri also revealed plans to target the World Championships qualifying time in the 5,000m event at the London leg of the Diamond League on July 20-21, following her disappointing performance in Stockholm.
Alphas Kishoyian retained his 400m title in 45.40 seconds, narrowly missing the World Championships qualifying time by 0.1 seconds. Mike Mokamba also successfully defended his 200m title.
Obiri's comments on her performance: 'I didn’t feel strong going into Prefontaine especially after I fell in Stockholm. It’s something I have been thinking about this being my first 10,000m race on track.'
