After a sub par performance at the 2012 London Olympic games in which Kenya won only two gold medals, fans of Kenya  will be hoping for a much better performance at Moscow 2013. The London games were a comedy of errors by the Kenya team but no one was laughing. This is the time to make amends.

Mens 1500m

In the absence of David Rudisha who is injured, the mens 1500m is perhaps Kenya’s best prospect for a gold medal thanks to Asbel Kiprop. In 2012, Kiprop performed extremely well shortly before the Olympics. However at the games he had an injury that saw him finish last.This year too he has announced his intentions by running the fastest 1500m time since 2004 by clocking 3:37.72 which makes him the fourth fastest 1500m runner ever behind El Guerrouj, Bernard Lagat and Nourredine Morceli.

Silas Kiplagat and Nixon Chepseba from whom much was expected at the Olympics, also performed poorly finishing 7th and second last respectively. They have a brilliant opportunity to make amends. As defending champions, Kenya gets four runners in this event. The fourth runner will be the up and coming Bethwell Birgen.

If Kenya gets their tactics right, they should win this event. At last year’s Olympics, there were no visible team tactics amongst the Kenyans. Each ran their own race. The key for team Kenya will be to run the first 800m in 1:55 which is a suitable pace for Kiprop and Kiplagat.

Mens 3000m steeplechase

Conselus Kipruto is the hottest new find in Kenya athletics. His entry has excited fans of Kenya athletics because for almost a decade, Kenya has been dependent on the same steeplers: Kemboi, Koech, Brimin Kipruto and Richard Mateelong.

But on May 18 of this year, Conselus Kipruto announced his arrival at the top with an astounding performance at the Shanghai Grand Prix winning in 8:01:16. To prove this was no fluke , he followed it up by beating the legend Kemboi in Eugene two weeks later.

Nevertheless, the highly experienced Kemboi must be the favourite. Kemboi is an all time great. He has won the world championships twice, won the silver medal three times and won the Olympics twice. He also ran the fastest time of the year 2013.

Paul Koech, another veteran is the third Kenyan in the race. Koech has run some very fast times in his career but has never been able to do better than a bronze medal at a major championships. Former world youth champion, Abel Mutai completes Kenya’s line-up.

Women’s Marathon

In 2011, Kenya took the top four positions in an awsome display of utter dominance. Edna Kiplagat won the gold medal on that occasion. She is back on this occasion and is the favourite.This despite the fact that Kiplagat finished a poor 20th at the London Olympics. Valentine Kipketer is the 3rd Kenyan. The 34 year old Kiplagat is determined to make amends and provide guidance to the younger members of the team. “When we meet together I remind them that the goal for a championship is like any other big marathon. Though I also tell them that at city marathons there are only a few of the world’s best athletes but at Moscow they are going to compete with the whole world so they need to be very focused and careful about how they think about the race.” says Kiplagat

Lucy Wangui Kabuu who is a former commonwealth games champion in the 10,000m is Kenya second runner. With a personal best of 2:19:34.She is the fastest half marathoner in the world this year.

Valentine Kipketer completes the Kenya line-up. Missing is London Marathon winner Priscah Jeptoo who holds the worlds fastest time.

The Kenyan trio will face a strong challenge from the Ethiopian team who are buoyed by their excellent performance in various City marathons recently. Most notable among them is Tiki Gelana who won the Rotterdam marathon in 2012.

Womens 1500m

Kenya has two out of the four fastest metric milers this year. World cross country champion, Faith Kipyegon, set a new Kenya record, clocking 3:56.98. Hellen Obiri has been imperious form. She ran a personal best of 3:58.58 to win in Eugene. The hot favourite will be Abeba Aregawi who has defected from Ethiopia to Sweden. The Kenyans will also have to contend with Genzebe Dibaba. If the pace is slow, American Jenny Simpson couild be favoured as she has a devastating finishing kick which she used to win the 2012 Olympics.

Womens 3000m Steeplechase

Milcah Chemos Cheywa has been the dominant steepler in the Diamond league this year. At 9:14.17, Chemos has the best seasonal best time of anyone in Moscow. Lydia Chepkurui,  is the world leader at 9;13.17nbut did not make the Kenyan team. In fact Chemos has been one of the most dominant runners in the Diamond League since 2010, winning an incredible 15 diamong leage races. However she will have to contend with the Russian women who tend to skip the diamond league but then emerge out of the blue to win major races, thus raising suspicions. Yuliya Zaripova, the Olympic champion, will be back as the pre-race favourite. Chemos has what it takes to finish on the podium.

Mens 5000m

Kenya will be represented by four runners : Isaiah Koech, Edwin Soi, Thomas Longosiwa and John Kipkoech, a former World Junior Championships silver medallist who finished just fifth at the trials.

The clear favourite in this race is Mo Farah of Great Britain whois also the defending champion, having beaten Bernard Lagat to gold in 2011. Farah has a devastating finishing kick which he displayed at the European championships, finishing the last lap in 51 seconds.

In a slow pace race, Farah will be the favourite especially if he is among the leading pack in the last lap. However Edwin Soi has enough footspeed to keep up with Farah. He proved this when he outkicked Farah to win the Monaco Grand Prix in a world leading 12:51:34. However Soi has been plagued with inconsistency. He finished 3rd at the Kenya trials and 5th in the Rome Grand Prix.

Ethiopias Yenew Alamirew is the best candidate to challenge Farah. He ran 12:54.95 to win the Rom Grand Prix.

The last time a Kenyan won this event was in 2005 when Benjamin Limo unexpectedly outpaced the field in the last lap to win. 2 years earlier, the 18 year old Eliud Kipchoge shocked the world beating Kenenisa Bekele and Hicham el Guerrouj to win.

Mens 10000m

Japan based Bedan Kaloki who won the Kenya trials will be Kenya’s best chance at this event. The last time Kenya won a gold medal in this event was in 2001 when Charles Kamathi shocked the legendary Haile Gebresellasie. Paul Tanui who finished 2nd the 2011 world cross country championships will be Kenya’s second representative.

The Kenyans will be hard pressed to match up with the Ethiopians led by defending champion Ibrahim Jeilan, 2012 Olympic Games 5000m silver medallist Dejen Gebremeskel, Imane Merga and Abera Kuma all of whom have dipped below 27 minutes at this event this summer.

Also in the race is London double gold medalist Mo Farah of Great Britain who is in the form of his life. He is unbeatable if the pace is slow because his finishing kick is quite simply devastating. Farah recently ran the 1500m in 3:28 to prove that he has the speed of a miler. He has recently challenged Usain Bolt to a 600m race.

Mens Marathon

The marathon had been Kenya’s strongest event in the years between 2000 and 2011. Kenya won gold at the world championships in 2007 via Luke Kibet and again in 2009 and 2011 via Administration Policeman Abel Kirui.

This year however, they face a resurgent Ethiopia side. Tsegay Kebede is their most experienced man and he defeated one of the greatest Marathon fields in history in April to take his second London Marathon title. Lelisa Desisa set a world-leading mark to win the Dubai Marathon in 2:04:45 in January and is a strong favourite.

Kenya will be represented by  Bernard Koech, who ran a personal best of 2:04:53 to finish fifth in Dubai in January. Koech also win the Lisbon half marathon in an impressive 59.54

Peter Some, is the son of Some Muge who won a bronze medal at the 1987 All Africa games and another bronze medal at the  1983 IAAF World Cross Country Championships . Muge won the Paris Marathon in 2:05:38 in the spring.

Kenya’s other representatives will be Tokyo Marathon second and third place finishers, Michael Kipyego and Bernard Kipyego, and Nicholas Kipkemboi, who finished sixth in January’s Dubai Marathon in 2:06:33.

Womens 800m

Veteran Janeth Jepkosgei will be back to reclaim the title she won in 2007 when she literally ran Maria Mutola into the ground. Jepkosgei who is now 29 has of late been slowed down by injuries. Nevertheless, she is a strong candidate to get a podium finish.

Caster Semenya of South Africa failed to meet the qualifying time. Francine Niyonsaba of Burundi who has been the best runner this year also withdrew with an injury. This leaves Russia’s Mariya Savinova as the pre-race favourite. Savinova won the gold medal at London 2012. In typical Russian fashion, she has raced sparingly this year. Other strong contenders will be Alyssa Montano of the USA and Jessica Judd of Great Britain.

The other Kenyan reprentatives are youngstars Eunice Sum (PB 1:59.13)  and Winnie Chebet (PB 1:59.37). Both have competed for Kenya and won medals at the youth and Junior levels.

Mens 800m

In the absence of David Rudisha, Ethiopia’s Mohamed Aman is the strong favourite. Aman is the only person who has beatn Rudisha over the past two years. He however had a poor performance at the London games in 2012 and will be determined to make amends. Timothy Kitum, who at age 17 won the bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics has also inexplicably lost his former. Hopefully he is not washed up at age 18.

The 800m is usually one of Kenya’s strongest events and Kenya has always fielded three potential medalists. This year however, Kenya is fielding a much weaker team: Anthony Chemut, Ferguson Cheruiyot and Jeremiah Mutai. None of them have any championship pedigree.

American Duane Solomon who clocked 1:42.82 to finish fourth in London is the man most likely to challenge Aman

4 X 400m

Kenya will once again field a team in the relays. It is a youthful team. Alphas Kishoyian recently turned 20. He ran a personal best of 45.50 at the national championships. Mike Mokamba is a former rugby player, having played in the Safari sevens Under 18 section. His father is Elkana Nyangau who represented Kenya in the relays at the 1988 Olympics and was a member of Kenya’s 4 X 100m record setting team. The other members of the team are Boniface Mweresa and Mike Kertich. The Kenyan team ran a time of 3:02.00 which puts them among the top teams and a medal contender.

The last time Kenya won a medal in the event was in 1993 when the legendary Samson Kitur ran a stormer of a final leg to help Kenya to the silver medal. Other members of that team were Kennedy Ochieng, Simon Kemboi and Abdnego Matilu.