Korir eyes on 2021 indoor worlds in China
Nairobi, Sunday
African 800m silver medalists Emmanuel Korir said the 2020 season is wasted and he is keen to compete at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China, which has been rescheduled to 2021.
Korir, who trains in Eldoret and Texas in the US, believes most athletes will have a dismal and limited show in 2020, should the health situation improve and global sport and travel is allowed.
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Korir had penciled April 17 Doha Diamond League to launch his season but he is now holed up at his university residence in Texas, as he keeps safe from the coronavirus.
However, he believes he will be ready for the World Indoor Championships, which has been pushed to March in 2021 in Nanjing before focusing on the Tokyo Olympics.
“My training was going on very well and I had good plans this year. I was ready to compete starting in Doha in the Diamond League,” Korir said on Friday.
“Now all that is wasted and we have to plan for the 2021 season. I have nothing to look forward to.
No one had expected this pandemic,” added Korir. Korir joins Viola Lagat, an Olympian who represented Kenya at the 1,500m race in Rio Games, Bethwell Birgen (3,000) and Beatrice Chepkoech among others who have expressed their desire to launch their 2021 season with the Indoor Tour, which will culminate with the Nanjing World Indoor Championships.
Kenya’s Collins Kipruto and Getnet Wale of Ethiopia are among 11 athletes who got wild cards to the 2021 World Indoor Championships.
Korir anchored the Kenya team to win the 4x400m relays title at the Africa Athletics Championships in Asaba, Nigeria two years ago and hopes that he will manage to return stronger once the pandemic is over.
The Indoor Tour winners are all eligible for wildcard entry to the World Athletics Indoor Championships Nanjing 2021, subject to the approval of their national federation.
“The 2020 World Athletics Indoor Tour will be the first one-day meeting series to be held under our new banner and will kick off an exciting and ground-breaking year for track and field,” said World Athletics president Sebastian Coe. -Xinhua
