NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 16 – The 2018 World Under 20 5000m champion Edward Zakayo says his ultimate target in the coming year is to make it to the Team Kenya contingent to the World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, Australia in February.
Zakayo revealed his next focus is to compete in as many races as possible in Kenya in order to prove himself worthy of flying the country’s flag at the biennial competition.
“There is a lot of competition there and everyone is strong. I need to run in as many races there as possible. I need that kind of challenge if I am to make the team for the World Cross Country Championships. From here, I’ll go back to training in Kenya as I await the cross country competitions,” Zakayo said.
The 2018 Commonwealth Games 5000m silver medalist was in imperious form on Saturday, clocking 26:20 to clinch the men’s senior race at the World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold event in Cardiff, Wales.
In second and third place were the Ugandan duo of Joel Ayeko (26:23) and Rodgers Kibet (26:23) who were tied neck-to-neck in a photo finish.
Reflecting on his victory, Zakayo attributed it to a stroke of luck considering he felt his fitness levels were sub-par following a busy year.
“I was not really in top physical shape because it has been a long season for me. Back home, I did not make the team for the World Championships but competed at the Commonwealth Games. Afterwards, I was in Mexico before I went to run in Lille (France). So, when I came here, I was not really sure if I could win…the best result I was expecting was maybe, a second or third-place finish,” Zakayo said.
He added: “When it came to the last lap, I noticed that no one was willing to take the initiative and kick on. I decided to take control just to see how everyone would react. I saw that there was at least 10 metres between me and the others behind me so I decided to push on some more and that is how the victory came.”
As the cross country season kicks off, Zakayo will be hoping that the win in Wales is the beginning of a fruitful harvest for him – a stark contrast from this year when he finished fifth at the National Cross Country Championships at Lobo village in Eldoret.
In the senior women’s race, 18-year-old Pamela Kosgei – younger sister to marathon world record holder Brigid – continued her meteoric rise in athletics when she stormed to victory in 20:21.
European Indoor 3000m champion Amelia Quirk finished second in 20:34 as English Cross Country champion Jess Gibbon came third in 20:44.
