Eyes on local duo as World Indoors kick off

TOP PRIZE:Contingent will be hoping to get a share of the prize money on offerWorld Indoors ChampionshipToday, 3000m heatsWomen, 10.45amMen, 19.05Prize MoneyIndividual events1st US$40,000 (Rwf23.9m)2nd US$20,000 (Rwf11.9m)3rd US$10,000 (Rwf5.9m)4th US$8000 (Rwf4.7m)5th US$6000 (Rwf3.5m)6th US$4000 (Rwf2.4m)World record bonusUS$50,000 (Rwf29.9m)RWANDANS will have their eyes set on local athletics duo of Claudette Mukasakindi and Robert Kajuga when they compete in the first round of the 3000m in the 14th World Indoors which unfolds this morning in Istanbul.The two-member Rwandan contingent arrived in Turkey on Wednesday ready to deliver the country’s best ever performance at the biennial global indoor meet.Both Mukasakindi and Kajuga who have proven that they can put on a good show in an international competition will be making their debut at the World indoor event.Mukasakindi, who has wide experience in international competitions, faces an uphill task against region’s elite athletes in the heat stages of 3000m 10.45am local time.In her quest to qualify to the final round, Mukasakindi must beat off stiff challenge from Ethiopian superstar Meseret Defar, who is hoping to become the first woman in history to land a fifth successive individual World Indoor title. She is joined on the Ethiopian team by the 2008 World Indoor 1500m champion Gelete Burka, who set a season’s best 8:36.59 in Birmingham.Kenya will be determined to wreck Defar’s ambitions and in Hellen Obiri and Sylvia Kibet they have two strong contenders. Obiri, who tripped and fell in the 2011 World Championships final in the 1500m, clocked an impressive 8:35.35 for second in Birmingham behind Defar and will be out to overturn that result. Kibet (8:43.54) the 2011 World Championships 5000m silver medallist, also boasts top class pedigree.Morocco may also provide a strong challenge in the 2010 World Indoor bronze medallist Mariem Selsouli who posted a swift 8:36.87 to win in Karlsruhe and her team-mate Siham Hilali (8:46.17). In the evening, Kajuga will take onto the task in the men’s category against Bernard Lagat who at 37 shows few signs of diminishing powers. Other athletes include Kenya’s Augustine Choge and Edwin Soi sit atop the 2012 list at 7:29.94, who are the only men to have broken 7:30 this season.Mo Farah who suffered a rare loss over two miles in Birmingham recently stands a great chance of adding another global title following the withdrawal of Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge. EthiopiansYenew Alamirew and Dejen Gebrmeskel, Uganda’s Moses Kipsiro, Australia’s Craig Mottram and Bahrain’s Asian indoor champion Bilisuma Shugi are others who could make a bold showing.This year’s event will see all gold medallists receive $40,000 (Rwf23.9m) with silver and bronze winners receiving $20,000 (Rwf11.9m) and $10,000 (Rwf5.9m0).In addition, IAAF announced the $50,000 (Rwf29.9m) bonus for breaking a world record at the pristine closed circuit racing showpiece is still up for grabs after the usual ratification procedures.

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Eyes on local duo as World Indoors kick off