NAIROBI, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's Edward Zakayo, the world junior 5,000m champion, said the country cannot afford to rest on its laurels with Uganda and Ethiopia performing well ahead of the 2019 IAAF World Cross Country Championships.
Zakayo said his team must improve their game if they are to challenge for the overall title when the world converges in Denmark in March for the World Cross Country Championships.
"It is evident Kenyan athletes have taken their foot off [the gas] in the cross country preparations. Our performance on the global circuit has been wanting and it will be hard to expect a turnaround in fortunes in Denmark", said Zakayo. "It is time to wake up and go for hard training and hope to peak at the right time in March."
Uganda also have Commonwealth Games 10,000m champion Joshua Cheptegei back in top form after recovering from injury and he will aim to launch his season in Aarhus.
