Time will not be important for Kenyan runner Pamela Jelimo when she lines up Sunday at the Moscow Indoor meeting, her first race in over nine months.
Instead, the World Indoor Champion is keen to shake off the rust and get her career back on track as she prepares for her 800 metres title defence in Poland during the World Indoor Championships in March. Jelimo jetted out Thursday for Moscow, reports Xinhua.
“I just want to do my best. Time is important but it does not matter to me at the moment. What I care most about is how I navigate off the blocks, maintain my pace and the final sprint to finish. I want to see what the body will give under this competitive situation against some of the world’s best,” Jelimo said here.
The former Olympic champion indeed faces a still challenge at Moscow. She will come up against a quality field which includes Olympic bronze medallist Yekaterina Poistogova, 2011 European Indoor champion Jenny Meadows, reigning European Indoor champion Nataliia Lupu and rising Kenyan talent Nelly Jepkosgei.
“I don’t fear these people because I can’t avoid them. These are the very people I will meet in the season and it is a pleasure to compete against them when I am just back from injury. They will boost my confidence knowing that if I do well, it was against a classy field.”
A good show in Moscow is crucial for the 24-year-old. After nine months on the medical bench, Jelimo is itching to do what she loves most.
“The big challenge is to retain the World Indoor title in Poland. But that is not the priority at the moment. Winning and having a good race to gauge my speed and reaction to different challenge and aspects of the race is what is worrying me. Moscow will clear all those doubts,” Jelimo said.