NAIROBI, March 1 (Xinhua) -- A week ago, Amos Kirui shot to international prominence when he won the signature 10km senior men race at the Kenyan championships that doubled as the selection event for the 43rd IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Aarhus, Denmark.
Kirui, 21, who is based in Japan, is no stranger to international competition, having taken gold at the 2016 IAAF World U-20 Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland in the 3000m steeplechase event, continuing his country's excellent record in the water and hurdles track event.
He followed that up with bronze at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia in April 2018 to underline his ability to mix it with the seniors in international competition.
However, with a well-timed finish at the self-styled 'City of Champions' Eldoret in northern Kenya, Kirui produced arguably the biggest victory in his career when he toppled a field of giants to win the hotly-contested blue riband race of any cross country meeting - the senior men's 10km - to lead the queue for selection to his country's team for the Aarhus 2019 World Cross on March 30.
To put his triumph into perspective, the Kenyan selection event is billed as the toughest event outside only the World Cross itself, owing to the east African nation standing head and shoulders above all others at the now biannual event.
In Kirui's slipstream were casualties such as two-time World Cross senior men's individual winner Geoffrey Kipsang Kamworor, World U-20 10,000m gold medalist Rhonex Kipruto, and Leonard Barsoton, who won silver at the last World Cross in Kampala, Uganda two years ago. None could live with Kirui's devastating turn of pace over the last 600m.
Former national cross champion and 2015 World Cross silver medalist Paul Tanui, as well as former World U-20 men's 10,000m champion Josphat Better, were other titans humbled by the perfectly executed dash for glory by Kirui, who lined up for the start with barely a mention among the pre-race favorites.
"I'm happy to have won but now the hardest part begins as we head for residential training. We have to train hard and prepare well if we want to be victorious in Denmark," Kirui said, after winning the race in a time of 21:51.
"Personally, I will strive to come back home with a medal. We should strategize as a team at the camp. I believe the only way to dominate in Denmark will be to cultivate team work and unity," he added.
Kirui revealed he had been training for the World Cross trial in the last four months with the stunning victory a reward for the efforts.
"I had a game plan ahead of Eldoret and I'm glad it worked out; I stuck with the big shots like Kamworor and Edward Zakayo up to the last lap before I unleashed the finishing kick and sped for the tape.
"Apart from the course being muddy, the conducive weather inspired my win. I will keep on training hard as I intend to carry this form into the World Cross," he added.
Kamworor, who powered to his first World Cross title when he won the junior 8km gold at the 2011 Punta Umbria World Cross in Spain, before adding senior crowns in 2015 and 2017, was stunned to fifth in the 10km showdown, but was given a wildcard entry by Athletics Kenya (AK) to chase his hat-trick of World Cross titles in Denmark.
Others who booked a berth to Aarhus in the men's senior 10K include Evans Keitany, Rodgers Kwemoi, Richard Kimunyan and world U-20 10,000m champion Rhonex Kipruto.
Women's 5000m world and Commonwealth titleholder Hellen Obiri will lead a strong side that has world steeplechase record holder Beatrice Chepkoech, Kampala 2017 bronze winner Lilian Kasait, Deborah Samum, Eva Cherono and Beatrice Mutai in chasing the corresponding senior women's 10km crown in Denmark.
Reigning champion Irene Cheptai will not line up to defend her title after taking a maternity break this season.
The 30 athletes selected by AK for the 2019 World Cross are expected to report to the camp in Embu, Kenya on Friday, where they will train under head coach David Letting, who is already convinced that Kenya will retain the team title in Denmark.
"This selection consists of young and experienced athletes which is a good blend for any victory in a championship," Letting noted.
All eyes will be on Kirui who will attempt to do something his illustrious compatriots have not managed for a long time at the World Cross: deliver gold after winning the Kenyan championship.
Leonard Barsoton, who won the 2017 national honors, went on to win silver in Kampala behind Kamworor.
At the Bydgoszcz 2013 World Cross in Poland, Japhet Kipyegon Korir stunned the world when he won the senior title, beating among others Philemon Rono, who had emerged the surprise winner of the Kenyan trial a month earlier.
Rono found the weight of expectation in Poland overwhelming, as he could only muster a 36th finish at the global stage.
Ethiopia's Imane Merga denied Kenya the most coveted prize at the 2011 World Cross in Punta Umbria, Spain, with previous champion Geoffrey Mutai pushed down to fifth in the final finishing order.
Paul Tanui, who won silver in Spain, entered the 2010 World Cross in Bydgoszcz as the Kenyan champion, only to finish eighth, as countryman Joseph Ebuya ended a nine-year wait for the title when he emerged as another shock champion.
It is little wonder that Kirui has kept his real ambitions for Denmark in check, in full knowledge that winning the Kenyan trial automatically sets him as a man to beat for anyone dreaming of being the senior men's champion.
