Lotto splash again on AK X-Country

In Summary

• It’s at the National Cross Country Championships that a national team will be picked for the African Cross-Country Championships due April 8 in Lome, Togo.

Lotto Foundation will for the fourth straight year sponsor the Athletics Kenya National Cross Country Championships due February 8 at Uhuru Gardens, Nairobi.

Lotto Foundation on Friday splashed Sh8 million for this year’s event as Nairobi and Coast Regions prepare to name their teams for the national event on Saturday at Posta Ground, Ngong Road and Kwale Township Stadium respectively.

“I am glad that we have been able to nurture and grow athletics talent for the last four years and this has shown that sports is an economic viable talent,” said Lotto Foundation CEO Mwaura while handing over the sponsorship cheque top former World Cross Country champion Vivian Cheruiyot and World marathon bronze medallist Amos Kipruto at Riadha House.

It’s at the National Cross Country Championships that a national team will be picked for the African Cross-Country Championships due April 8 in Lome, Togo.

Mwaura said besides the Cross Country, Lotto Foundation will announce their support for Team Kenya for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. “We are glad to see the hard work and a partnership that has worked to grow the athletes from grassroots.”

At the cheque presentation ceremony were Athletics Kenya president Jackson Tuwei and key officials from the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Arts led by Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohammed. Others were Cabinet Assistant Secretary Hassan Noor Hassan and Principal Secretaries Joe Okudo (Sports) and Josephta Mukobe (Arts).

Mohamed praised Lotto Foundation for their initiative saying it has helped spur Kenya at Africa and World Cross Country Championships. “It’s at these cross country events that stars are born. Most athletes use them to prepare for major events,” said Mohamed.

Meanwhile, World Cross Country Under-20 champion Beatrice Chebet will be hoping to scale to senior ranks in style when she fields in women’s 10km race in Nairobi Region.

Fresh from finishing 11th at Mumbai Marathon on Sunday, Vincent Rono will take on the pack in men’s 10km contest. Rono represented Kenya at the 2017 World Cross Country Championships in Kampala where he finished seventh in senior men’s race.

AK Coast Region chairman Dimmy Kisalu disclosed that Julius Kogo and Dennis Kimetto, who competed at the 2018 Africa Cross Country Championships, are some of the star-attraction in men’s 10km race in Kwale. Also expected are Emmanuel Korir and Lameck Mwakio among others.

Janet Cherop, Philistia Wanjiru and Celestina Mukungo will highlight the women’s 10km race of the championships that will get underway at 9.30am.