Kenya's Sum not keen to compete in indoor competition

Former world 800m champion Eunice Sum of Kenya has ruled out competing in the indoor championships as she seeks to return to fitness ahead of the outdoor competition that will culminate to the World Championships in London in August.

Sum confirmed that she is back in training after a poor season last year and hopes to weather the storm and reclaim her title in London.

"The indoor championships are not my best and I do not want to put my body under a lot of pressure. It is good to focus on one thing and do it well. I will run the outdoor competitions alone," she said on Friday.

Sum, 28, had torrid time last season which started with doping scandal that involved her manager Federico Rosa. Though she is not suspected for any role in the scandal, she found it hard to train as her mentor and manager was tormented by the Kenyan authorities before the case was dropped.

Now she has resumed training after her poor show in Rio Olympics and hopes she will have stocked up enough strength to go for gold in London in August.

"It is not easy when the person you look up to, the one who has been helping you is in trouble even if it has nothing to do with you. It weighs you down and focus is shifted. I have been training all along since last year after the Rio Olympics and I am really focused this season.

"Last year, you know what happened and that really affected me in terms of training. I tried my best physically but psychologically I was down hence the poor performance. But this time my season is already in motion and I focus on the World Championships in London," said Sum.

There will be no time to waste for Sum though. She is already planning for the Diamond League season, which starts in May in Doha.

But before that, she may compete in the cross country for her Kenya Police institution, just to improve on her endurance. However, she has no plans to compete at the World Cross Country Championships in Kampala, Uganda on March 26. Endit