体坛英语新闻：Kenyan runners battle for top honors at athletics championship

NAIROBI, June 8 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's finest runners paraded on Thursday for a three-day national athletics championship that runs up to Saturday in Nairobi.

The annual track and field meeting, which was established in 1980, features Olympic-level individual track and field events for both men and women.

Olympic 800m bronze medalist, Margaret Nyairera and world cross country silver medallist, Alice Aprot, will lead Kenya Prisons onslaught whereas three-time 1,500m world champion Asbel Kiprop will lead the Police brigade.

The Kenya Defence team will rely on Olympic 400m hurdles silver medallist, Boniface Mucheru; Africa 5,000m champion Douglas Kipserem; and 2012 Olympic 3,000m steeplechase bronze medallist Abel Mutai.

Athletics Kenya (AK) officials told Xinhua that preparations have been put in place to make the three-day meet a sporting success.

"We are leaving nothing to chance, including securing the venue and its surrounding to deter any threat that might be posed to those who will attend the event," AK Senior Vice-President, Paul Mutwii said.

"Runners from all the 12 regions and four AK affiliates will be in attendance to vie for top honors," Mutwii remarked.