Rotich keen to bag elusive gold at World Championships
By K24 Editorial, July 30, 2019Amos Abuga @PeopleSport11
Ferguson Rotich is hoping to hit top form before the August 20-23 National Championships that will also double up as trials for the Doha, Qatar World Championships.
The 2016 800m Diamond League Trophy winner is happy how his body is responding as he targets a gold medal at the World Championships set to take place from September 27 to October 6, having come close in the last three editions.
Rotich, the current leader in the 2019 Diamond League series, was in fine form at the weekend as he won the 1,500m race during the seventh edition of the South Rift Regional Track and Field Championships at Narok Stadium. “I was fourth at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, fourth at the African
Championships, fourth at the 2015 World Championships, fifth at the 2016 Olympics Games, fifth again at the 2018 African Championships. I want to go for gold since I am not getting any younger,” said the 29-year-old, who has a personal best of 1:43.22.
Besides the Diamond League Trophy, a gold medal at the 2013 IAAF World Relays in Nassau, Bahamas and a second-place finish in 800m at the World Championships in Moscow, Russia the same year is Rotich’s other major honours but he feels that is not enough.
“I am working towards the targets I had set for myself at the start of the season. I want to be in the right shape for the World Championships. We have good athletes coming up in 800m and that is why the national championships will not be easy,” he added.
Rotich, who won the men’s 800m race at the 10th stop of the Diamond League in London last week, has singled out world champion Emmanuel Korir and fastest athlete this year Nijel Amos of Botswana as his biggest threats in Doha.
“I was running in 1,500m to work on my endurance,” said the athlete, who clocked 3:44.5 ahead of Bernard Kipkorir’s 3:45.6 as Newton Kipkirui’s 3:46.5 in Narok.