Kenyan Hellen Obiri is aiming for success over 5000m and 10,000m at IAAF World Championships Doha

Hellen Obiri has revealed she will target IAAF World Championships success over both 5000m and 10,000m in Doha this summer as part of her plan to bow out from track competition on a high.

The Kenyan won gold over the shorter distance in London two years ago and is focused on retaining her title in the Qatari capital. She admits, however, that a full-time switch to road running is in the offing after next year’s Tokyo Olympics and, with that in mind, also wants to tackle the 25-lap event for the first time.

“My main target is to retain my title and then most probably I will focus on the double – 5000m and 10,000m,” the 29-year-old said.

“I’ve not done the 10,000m on the track so I’m going to do it at the Kenyan trials (for the world championships). It’s very hard to even make the Kenyan team but of course I want to make it and then from there you can see me doubling in Doha.”

“What made up my mind is that I’m almost done with the track," she says,  "so I think I need to do final, final things. I have never done 10,000m on the track so I wanted to do it before I go to the roads, maybe from next year after the Olympics.

“I will do 10km and the half-marathon on the road from there and then maybe (move up to the marathon) in the coming years.”

Obiri will race over 10km on the roads this weekend as one of the star attractions at the Simplyhealth Great Manchester Run, where she will be looking to carry on what, thus far, has been a winning habit in 2019.

There was her impressive and memorable victory at the World Cross Country Championships in Aarhus back in March, which followed gold at the Kenyan Championships, while a marker was put down on her first track outing this year thanks to a fine 3000m win over a quality field which included 1500m world record-holder Genzebe Dibaba at the recent Diamond League meeting in Doha in a time of 8:25.60.

posted Saturday May 18th
by Euan Crumley