Kenya Team Short One Member for the IAAF World Indoor Championships
Much to the disappointment of many track and field enthusiasts, the 800m World Indoor champion Wilfred Bungei will be unable to defend his title in Valencia, Spain. The 27-year old athlete had to pull out of the eight-man strong Kenya team performing at the IAAF World Championships, which had just left last night for Spain, due to a pulled muscle he had gotten while training at the Nyayo Stadium last Monday.
According to Bungei, he had tried jogging the day before they were scheduled to leave, and had difficulty with the pain involved in doing so. As such, he didn't see the point of going to Spain as he was unable to put out his best competitive form.
Without Bungei, Kenya's wining prospects now lie on Richard Kiplagat, who will make his IAAF debut in the upcoming meet. Kiplagay had recently accomplished one of the fastest times this season (specifically in the Burmingham Indoor Championships last February 16), and it is with high hopes that he travels to Valencia.
Kiplagat's personal record for the event is 1:45.10, which he got from the Irish Indoor Championships where he finished second. He will definitely encounter new challenges as he comes against some of the world's best athletes, such as World Indoor Games silver medalist Mbulaeni Mulaudzi and Olympic champion Yuriy Borzakovskiy.
The Kenyan team manager Francis Afundi had already sent a written request for a replacement for Bungei to the International Association of Athletics, though feedback has yet to come.
