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Kenya's Ndiku keen to defend World Indoor Championships

Xinhua, January 8, 2016 Adjust font size:

Kenya's Caleb Ndiku has set his focus on retaining his title at the World Indoor Championships in Portland, USA in March 17-20.

Ndiku has curved his own niche since he graduated from the junior ranks in 2011 and believes he will be fit enough to challenge for medals at his first Olympics in Rio in August.

However, he will have to start with the Indoor Championships in Portland, where he will be one of the athletes making the Kenya team.

"I want to win and it will start with the Indoor," said Ndiku, Thursday in Nairobi.

Ndiku won the 2014 World Indoor Championships in Sapot, Poland competing in the 3,000m.

In 2011 Ndiku started his technical collaboration with Italian coach Renato Canova, who planned for him a strategy looking at 5000m.

He began competing in senior competitions the following year and was runner-up at the Trofeo Alasport cross country in March, second only to the newly elected world champion Imane Merga.

In 2014, he had a very impressive season, winning everything possible: World Indoor Championships in 3000m, Commonwealth Games (July 27) in 5000m, African Championships (Aug. 14) in 5000m, the Diamond League in 5000m (with two victories in Eugene and Zurich), and the Continental Cup in 3000m ( Sept.14), becoming the number one of 5000m for the ranking of Track and Field.

The 16th IAAF World Indoor Championships expects to attract more than 600 athletes representing as many as 200 countries.

This will be the first time the IAAF World Indoor Championships have been contested in the United States since the inaugural competition in Indianapolis in 1987.

Athletes will compete in 13 men's and women's events, with medals awarded to the top three finishers in each event.

Team USA has been the most successful country at the IAAF World Indoor Championships with a total of 202 medals: 87 gold, 58 silver and 57 bronze.

The U.S. will be looking to build on its strong performance at the 2014 meet in which it won eight gold medals. Endit