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Kenyan Chemos to miss Beijing World Championships

Xinhua, May 20, 2015 Adjust font size:

World 3,000m steeplechase champion Milcah Chemos will not defend her crown in Beijing World Championships in August.

Chemos, who turned 29 in February, is still rooted in the medical rooms in Nairobi and Brussels as she nurses a back problem, which has seen her miss out on all competition since September 2014.

"I will not be running in Beijing World Championships. I will probably not run again this year. But I am doing everything possible to return to training and compete again," Chemos said on Wednesday from Eldoret.

"I wanted to defend my title in Beijing, but I still have a long way to go. I am in and out of rehabilitation and the physiotherapists have advised me to take a complete rest and heal first," she said.

Alex Sang, the husband coach of Chemos, said his wife will be taking it slowly as she starts her comeback campaign.

But the time is not on her side to return to active competition and top form to go for the gold in Beijing and she will not be pushing her body further to attain the target. However, she has set her target to compete in the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

In her absence, her understudy Virginia Nyambura, is stepping up and Chemos believes she has what it takes to win gold in Beijing.

Nyambura, who was entered in the Doha Diamond League meeting last week in Qatar as a pace maker, went on to win the race. That has inspired her and now she targets to set a new Africa record in the steeplechase race.

That will mean that Nyambura has to shave off 15 second her personal best time to be able to break Chemos' Africa record of 9:07.14.

The world record of 8:58.81 set in Beijing Olympic Games by Gulnara Galkina of Russia in 2008 is still way far for Nyambura.

"You have to set a target and try to beat it in every competition. That is what I have just done. I'm back in training and I will see how best I can get closest to the record," she said.

Chemos believes her understudy has the potential to attain her goals this season. She has already hit the World Championships qualifying mark of 9:44.00.

"I have total faith in her. She has been strong in training and I have watched her performances and am happy with the progression she has made so far. She has the potential to win in Beijing and also claim the Diamond Trophy," said Chemos. Endi