BY MUIGAI KIGURU
World 800m champion Eunice Sum is seeking to Commonwealth Games title to her collection when the bonanza open on July 23 to August 3 in Glasgow, Scotland.
Sum won the world title last year in Moscow, Russia in what was a culmination of unbeaten performances that left tongues wagging.
“I am happy to have made the team and despite having won the world title, I don’t have any other major title and adding the Commonwealth gold medal would be awesome,” said Sum.
“I am well prepared though I have to face the race like any other. I expect tough competition but I am ready. Being the world champion is a great challenge for since I will be the focus and that comes with a lot of pressure,” he said.
However, she insists this will not distract her from fighting for that which she feels she deserves— a medal. “I will not under-estimate my opponents at whatever stage since I know any mistake can lock one out. I know they have all prepared well too,” she added.
Sum believes her greatest challenge will come from mainly Great Britain and fellow Kenyans.
However, she observed that alongside former world champion Janeth Jepkosgei and new talent Agatha Jeruto, they will be seeking to work as a team after individually making it to the final.
“We in 800m are working as a team and have one goal of working hard through the heats and ensure we reach the final which will be easier to tackle as a team,” she observed.
Jepkosgei said she is also hoping to sign off with a medal in Glasgow to add to the gold medal she won at the 2006 edition in Melbourne.
“This will be my last Commonwealth Games appearance and I am looking forward to do well,” said Jepkosgei, who also won the world title in Osaka, Japan in 2007.
She said they are treating the championship with the seriousness it deserves despite opinions that it is not an important occasion—considering it only attracts former British protectorates.
“For us, it is an important challenge and winning a medal would be great. Being my last, I am hoping to come back with a medal. The most important thing will be for all of us to reach the final,” added Jepkosgei, who holds a silver medal from the 2009 World Championships in Berlin and a bronze from Daegu in 2011. Read more…
Courtesy of the-star.co.ke