Olympic champ to skip Athletics Indoor Tour, focus on World Cross Country

Olympic 5,000 metre silver medallist Hellen Obiri of Kenya has changed her mind and will skip the IAAF Indoor Tour to compete in the World Cross Country Championships. The 29-year-old has always selected the World Indoor Championships over the cross country tournament and had hinted last year that she was keen to maintain her schedule, reports Xinhua news agency.

But speaking here on Friday, Obiri said she will swap the two events and warned her rivals she is blazing hot and spoiling for fight at the World Championships set for March 30 in Aarhus, Denmark. "Ironically, I have always competed in the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) cross country but missed the National Championships. This is because I opted for the World Indoor events," Obiri said after winning the senior women's race.

It was Obiri's third win after having scooped the title in 2014 before going for back-to-back feats in 2017 and 2018. Now she has thrown down the gauntlet and put her opponents on notice, saying her focus is the World Cross Country Championships. "Let it be known to my rivals that I am ready for my first Kenyan national trials for cross country. I have the speed and endurance and I will be ready for your challenge," Obiri added.