Meseret leads Ethiopia world indoor squad

PARIS: Ethiopia's double women's world 3,000 metres indoor champion Meseret Defar leads a seven-strong squad for the World Indoor Championships at Valencia on March 7-9.

However, the men's reigning world 3,000m champion Kenenisa Bekele will not be defending his title in Spain, though, his brother Tariku will be at the championships and compete in the 3,000m.

Bekele, the 10,000m Olympic champion and triple world title-holder, is in good form, having run the world's fastest ever two-miles race in 8:4.34s in Birmingham, England, on Saturday.

Tariku, who was fifth at the outdoor World Championships in Japan last year over 5,000m, has posted the best time over 3,000m this winter (7:31.09s).

The women's 3,000m runners in Valencia will be Meseret, who holds the world record of 8:23.72s and the best time in the world this year of 8:27.93.


* NAIROBI: Kenya's rising 800m star Richard Kiplagat will partner reigning champion Wilfred Bungei at next month's World Indoor Championships in Valencia, Spain, it was announced here on Monday.

The 26-year-old US university graduate, Kiplagat showed his credentials when he ran the third fastest 800m time in the world this year by clocking 1:46.33 at the Norwich Union Indoor Grand Prix at Birmingham last Saturday. -- AFP