NAIROBI, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's athletics head
coach Julius Kirwa is confident his runners will emerge victorious by winning
more medals at the Beijing Olympic Games.
Kirwa who is engaged the athletes in winding up
exercises in Nairobi also said that there was not major injury setbacks in the
camp.
"The team fitness is well and we are hoping that our
athletes will perform for the championships in Beijing as they prepare in the
camp," Kirwa said late Tuesday.
"We are hoping that God will guide us and emerge
victorious," Kirwa said according to the Standard on Wednesday.
A squad of the team is still in the country preparing
to join the rest of the team that left for Beijing last week and on Tuesday. The
coach's confidence was reinforced by the athletes whoalso expressed optimism
they would perform better this time round.
"The training has been good and coaches must be
commended. We are set and conditions in Beijing are not causing concerns," Micah
Kogo (10,000m men), who came close to breaking Haile Gebresellasie's 10km road
race record last year, said.
He ran 27.07 against Gebre's top mark of 27.02.
Brimim Kipruto said the pressure of becoming only the second runner in history
after compatriot Reuben Kosgei to be crowned World and Olympic champion was not
weighing heavily on him.
"I am not worried about that, but I pray to achieve
the feat. It all depends on what will happen on the field," he said.
He added: "We shall use the same tactics we used in
Osaka to beat our competitors then it will be a matter of who takes which
medal."
Brimin beat Ezekiel Kemboi (silver) and Richard
Mateelong (bronze) at last year's World Championships and the same trio hope to
repeat it in Beijing.
Kosgei won the Sydney Olympic title in 2000 and added
the World crown the following year in Edmonton, Canada.
"We shall stick to team work to overcome our rivals
and I pray that we succeed," he added. Kogowill feature in the 25-lap race
alongside Moses Masai and Martin Irungu Mathathi.