Kenya announces IAAF World Championship team

Edna Kiplagat crosses the finish line to win the 2014 London Marathon (Women’s Elite)

The 15^th international World Championships in Athletics, due to be held in Beijing this August, will be the largest sporting event to take place at the Beijing National Stadium ("Bird's Nest") since the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Kenya have announced their provisional 11 for the IAAF championships, and they look primed to be on top, as their team features three of the country’s most accomplished runners. Two of them are medal-winners from the 2015 London Marathon.

Wilson Kipsang, Kenya’s long-distance running specialist, is an Olympic medallist and has broken multiple records in his running career. A two-time winner of the Frankfurt Marathon, Kipsang won the 2014 London Marathon in a record time of 2 hours 4 minutes and 29 seconds. He has also won the London Marathon.

He has set several record times in his career: he set a time of 2:03:23 at the 2013 Berlin Marathon and run under 2 hours 5 minutes for the marathon on six separate occasions.

Also on the team: Dennis Kimetto and Edna Kiplagat.

Kiplagat is 2011 and 2013 champion at the IAAF World Championship in addition to having been a winner at the NYC and LA Marathons. She is a regular fixture at the London Marathon and has consistently featured in the top 3, winning the 2014 edition. She is one of just five runners to have won the world marathon title more than once.

Dennis Kimetto is the current world record holder at the marathon and the 25 km road distance. He has won 9 medals representing Kenya at worldwide marathons in the past 4 years – and 7 of these have been Golds.

The full team here:

Men:

Dennis Kimetto (PB 2:02:57)

Wilson Kipsang (2:03:23)

Mark Korir (2:05:49)

Felix Kiprotich (2:06:59)

Lucas Rotich (2:07:17)

Luka Kanda (2:07:20)

Women:

Edna Kiplagat (2:19:50)

Jemima Jelagat (2:20:41)

Helah Kirop (2:24:03)

Visiline Jepkesho (2:24:44)

Janet Rono (2:26:03)