Kenya's Aprot targets fast time in Lisbon to crown her half marathon debut

By Kimathi Kamau

NAIROBI, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- African woman's 10,000m titleholder Alice Aprot is targeting a fast time at the Mar. 11 Lisbon Half Marathon where she will be making her debut at the distance.

Aprot, who just missed medals at the Rio 2016 Olympics and London 2017 World Championships by finishing fourth in the 25-lap race, is keen on making an impact on the roads by following in the footsteps of her distance running idol, Vivian Cheruiyot.

Four-time world track champion Cheruiyot retired from track running after winning women's 5,000m gold at Rio 2016 and has since made an impressionable transition to the roads, finishing fourth on her London Marathon debut last year.

"I have given it wide thought and I think the time is right for me to run road races. I will continue training hard for Lisbon Half. I have learned a lot from Cheruiyot since we train together besides watching her race and win," Aprot said on Sunday.

The World Cross senior women's 10km silver medalist was in imperious form on Saturday when she completed a dominant 33:31 victory at the domestic Kenya Prisons Cross Country Championships in Nairobi for her third successive crown.

Aprot is considering whether to throw her hat in the ring for Team Kenya selection for either the Africa Cross Country Championships in Algiers in March or the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia in April.

"I will make the decision after the National Cross-Country Championships. For now, I cannot commit to either," said the athlete who is the younger sister of 2010 World Cross Championships senior men gold winner, Joseph Ebuya.

At the Prisons meet, World Cross Under 20 bronze winner Cellphine Chespol marked her debut in senior running when she led the challengers home behind Aprot in 34:09 with Visiline Jepkesho, who ran for Kenya in the women's marathon at the Beijing 2015 Worlds and in the Rio Olympics closing the podium in 34:38.

The corresponding men's 10km long race saw 2015 Africa Cross silver medallist Cornelius Kagongo take the honors in 29:41 ahead of former Prisons champion, Mangata Ndiwa (29:47) and Wilfred Kimitei (30:04) who took the minor medals in that order. Enditem