The 22nd World Athletics Indoor Championships will be held at Kujawy Pomorze in Poland from March 20 to 22.
Athletics Kenya is due to announce a lean team of six athletes in the next few days.
Gladys Chepngetich,24, a communications student at Clemson University, and Rosemary Longisa, 20, a student at Washington State University, are the hot favourites to be picked in women’s 800m.
A second-year student at the South Carolina university, Chepngetich smashed the Kenyan indoor record with a blistering 1:58.81 at the John Thomas Terrier Classic at the Boston University Track & Tennis Center, Massachusetts, on January 30.
The previous record of 1:58.83 was held by the great Pamela Jelimo, who laid claim to it at the World Indoor Championships in Istanbul, Turkey in 2012.
Chepngetich became only the second collegiate athlete in NCAA history to have run women’s 800m indoor in under 1:59, after USA's Athing Mu.
The Kenyan rising 800m runner said that her indoor season was taking shape and she was targeting a call-up to run in the World Indoors.
Chepngetich said then that she was surprised to break the national record, perhaps a hint that more was to come from her.
Longisa, attained the qualification mark after she clocked 1:59.71 at the Dempsey Indoor, Seattle, Washington in the US on February 14.
“It means a lot to represent a country, and if the federation names me to represent Kenya, I will be glad to compete against professionals in the distance and make my country proud. I have always been inspired by Faith Kipyegon, and I’m just following in her footsteps,” said Longisa on the phone from the US.
Mercy Oketch, 24, will certainly have a shout. She effortlessly hit the qualifying time in the women’s after timing 51.53 at the L'Anneau-Halle d'athlétisme de Metz, Metz in France on February 8. Her time was also the Kenyan record.
Still on women, Dorcus Ewoi, 30, attained the 1,500m mark on January 24 with a time of 4:01:22 at the Track at New Balance, Boston, Massachusetts on January 24 while 31-year-old Susan Ejore managed to qualify after clocking 4:05.03 at Armory Track & Field Center, New York on February 1.
University of Alabama student Doris Lemngole will be hoping that selectors have a soft spot for the women’s 3,000m after timing 8:31.39 at the Armory Track & Field Center, New York also in February to hit the qualifying time.
The men’s field is decidedly less alluring with 2022 World Indoor silver medallist Noah Kibet who clocked 1:45.77 at the LFK CSKA meet in Moscow, Russia on February 7 in the 800m race, the likely pick.
USA-based Festus Lagat will eye a spot in the 1,500m after his 3:35.20 run at the Armory Track and Field Center, in New York on February 1.
Jacob Krop, 25, is also in the list of qualified athletes in the 3,000m, having clocked 7:34.68 at the Arena Stade Couvert, Liévin in France on February 19.
Kenya failed to win a single medal at last year’s championship held at Nanjing, China. The country was represented by 10 athletes - five male and five female.
