NAIROBI, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Injuries and loss of form may have derailed former world 800m champion Eunice Sum from dominating the competition in 2019.

However, following the long layoff occasioned by COVID-19, the 32-year-old said she has regained her form even as she takes a gear up her training in isolation in Eldoret.

Two competitions are on her radar, the Diamond League and the Continental Tour. She will oscillate between the 1,500m and the 800m races.

"I have to plan well and use the Diamond League races to gauge myself against some of the best runners and also to correct mistakes, which might have caused me to miss out on the medal bracket during the last World Championships," Sum said on Thursday from Eldoret.

She had to contend with position five at the Doha World Championships in an impressive time of 1:59.71, one of the two fast times she posted in the 2019 season, the other being 1:58.99, which she clocked in Nairobi during the Kenyan trials for the Worlds.

This year, Sum started off well and was flying high as she focused on the endurance aspect of her training running the 1,500m distance. She clocked 4:20.18 minutes in Nairobi and was focused on launching her Olympic title quest in Tokyo, before the Games was postponed.

"Indeed I was in top form and was focused on the Olympic Games," she said. "I had a poor competition in my debut at the Rio Games in 2016 finishing seventh. I hope to build my fitness ahead of the rescheduled Olympics in 2021."

Besides the Diamond League, Sum will also seek to stage a good performance at the World Athletics Continental Tour, which has one of its rounds stopping in Nairobi on Sept. 26.

"My training program has been much of a routine as I am in constant touch with my coach through video and voice calls. But it is hard to train alone. I want to improve my personal best time," Sum added.

The former Africa champion is aware the Olympic title is what is missing from her great collection and hopeful that Tokyo will offer her an answer.

Sum's career would have taken a different path but she suffered from poor form and injuries. The Kenyan was forced to withdraw from the London World Championships in 2017 because of illness.

"So far I am in top form. I have not competed outside Kenya this year and this will be a good start. I want to see what competition is there in the race and then I will make my judgement on how to go about it," she said.

Sum won gold in Moscow worlds in 2013 and bronze in Beijing two years later. Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)