NAIROBI, April 7 (Xinhua) -- Titleholder Ruth Chepng'etich and seven-time world champion Geoffrey Kamworor will spearhead Kenya's marathon teams for the Oregon 2022 World Athletics Championships, its athletics body announced on Thursday.
Athletics Kenya (AK) also named the marathon teams for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Chepng'etich, 27, who won the world title during the 2019 championships in Doha, Qatar, clocking 2:32:43 after a start at midnight, is in the frame to go for a second world title in Eugene, Oregon.
According to AK, Paris Marathon champion Judith Jeptum and Maureen Chepkemoi are also in the team with Angela Tanui named as a reserve.
Kamworor, a twice winner of the New York Marathon (2017 and 2019) returns to Team Kenya after injury forced him out of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics last year as the big act in the men's team.
It will be his first outing in national colours in the marathon, having won Kenya individual gold medals thrice at both the World Cross Country (Punta Umbria 2011, Guiyang 2015 and Kampala 2017) and World Half Marathon (Copenhagen 2014, Cardiff 2016 and Valencia 2018) Championships.
Kamworor is one of the star-studded names that will be on show at the 2022 Boston Marathon that will run on April 18 in Massachusetts.
Lawrence Cherono, the 2019 Chicago Marathon winner and Barnabas Kiptum round off the Oregon 2022 men's marathon squad with 2017 world champion Geoffrey Kirui named as a reserve.
Elsewhere, Philemon Kacheran, Erick Kiptanui, Jonathan Korir, Michael Githai (reserve) have been named in the men's marathon team for the Commonwealth Games.
Margaret Wangari, Purity Changwony, Stella Barsosio and Viola Cheptoo Lagat (reserve) will fly the flag in the women's team for Birmingham.
The Championships will run from July 15 to 24 with the Commonwealth Games following suit from July 28 to August 8.
AK president Jackson Tuwei announced the Kenyan Trials for Oregon 2022 will be held on June 24 and 25 in Nairobi while those for the Commonwealth Games will be on May 20 and 21.
"The first two athletes to cross the line during the trials will automatically be selected. The third athlete will be determined by a panel of selectors," he added. ■