KEITANY AMONG PROVISIONAL SELECTIONS FOR KENYA\’S OLYMPIC MARATHON TEAM – By David Martin

Mary Keitany the winner of last year's Virgin London Marathon is one of six women provisionally named to compete for Kenya at the Olympic Games in the summer.
 
Athletics Kenya will announce the three selections and also for the men's  team after having seen how athletes preparations have progressed after the spring marathons particularly in London and Boston on 30 April.
 
Keitany and the other five possible candidates for a place were chosen from 50 Kenyan women who hold the qualifying time for the Games, reports The Standard.
 
She told the newspaper:  "I am very happy to have been named in the provisional team, but for me, the work begins now. I am determined to be in the final team and hope to do well in one of the spring marathons before the final team is named.
 
"The trend has always been that those who do well in the major marathons like London, New York, Berlin or Chicago always get a chance to be in the Olympic team and on account of this I was expecting to be in the team."
 
Last summer's IAAF World marathon champion Edna Kiplagat plus Prisca Jeptoo and Sharon Jemutai Cherop who finished behind her in Daegu are also candidates along with 2011 Berlin winner Florence Kiplagat and current World half marathon silver medallist Lydia Cheromei.
 
The six men selected also have awesome reputations. They are led by world record holder Patrick Makau, two-time world champion Abel Kirui plus major event winners last year, Emmanuel Mutai, Geoffrey Mutai and Moses Mosop and Wilson Kipsang.

David Martin