Duo target good show in Instabul

Rwandan duo of Robert Kajuga and Claudette Mukasakindi are targeting an impressive show in the IAAF World Indoor Championships due to start on Friday in Istanbul.Kajuga departed for Turkey last night accompanied by athletics federation’s secretary general Johnson Rukundo.Mukasakindi who has been training in Italy ahead of the London Olympics will link up with the pair in Turkey on Thursday.Kajuga who will be making his maiden debut told Times Sport, “I am optimistic to stage an impressive mark in my first outing,”“I have had ample preparations and I am hoping to win silverware,” added Kajuga.Mukasakindi said, “I am in good shape and I will be vying for honours in this championship. It will be tight with Ethiopians and Kenyans present but we will try our best to perform better,”With 172 IAAF National Member Federations having entered athletes to compete at the Atakov Arena this Friday, Istanbul 2012 should surpass Valencia 2008 where 147 countries, also a participating record at the time, contested the event.A total of 1,299 athletes and officials are also expected to attend what will be the IAAF’s most important event of the 2012 World Athletics Series. 349 male athletes, 334 female athletes and 616 officials have indeed been entered following the 27th February deadline for Final Entries.On the individual front, Ethiopia’s Meseret Defar will be chasing her fifth consecutive Indoor gold medal at 3000m while a recent World Indoor record has also reinforced Yelena Isinbayeva’s chances of winning her fourth World Indoor title following her setback two years ago in Doha.The World Indoor Championships, which were first contested under the guise of the World Indoor Games in Paris in 1985 when 69 nations took part, attracted 142 nations for their last edition in Doha 2010.

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Duo target good show in Instabul