NAIROBI, April 7 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's quest for medals at the Commonwealth Games starts on Sunday when athletics program starts in Gold Coast, Australia.
With almost the entire 65 member squad in Gold Coast, save for 12 members of the marathon and 10,000m teams, Kenya will be eyeing a better show than the 23 medals - 10 gold, 10 silver and three bronze - it clinched in the discipline at the 2014 Glasgow, Scotland Games.
However, the team will have to do without 400m runner Alex Sampao, who has pulled out of the Commonwealth Games due to a hamstring injury.
Head coach Japheth Kemei however said the country will still have a strong team despite the withdrawal and warned the athletes to stay focused on the job, even though their perennial rivals like USA, Ethiopia and Morocco will not be competing.
"It is a pity to lose Sampao. He has a serious hamstring injury, which we had hoped to heal naturally. But after new scan, it shows it may rapture further and put his career in the line. He will sit out of the competition and let the other warrior take up the mantle and deliver medals for Kenya," said Kemei.
A Kenyan clean sweep is possible in the 5,000m race with their trio, which includes world champion Elijah Manangoi and world silver medalist Timothy Cheruiyot.
However, Kenya must be on the lookout for Uganda's Joshua Cheptegei, who will be contesting in the event.
Cheptegei is the world silver medalist and has confirmed he intends to compete a double in 5000 and 10,000m. An inexperienced Kenyan group includes youngster Edward Zakayo, who won the Trials in 13:24.08.
In the men's 10,000m, world silver medalist Cheptegei faces Kenya's world U20 champion Rodgers Chumo and Canada's Mo Ahmed.
But in the 3000m steeplechase, world and Olympic champion Conseslus Kipruto is the outstanding favorite.
Kipruto who has been battling with illness and loss of form, will want to prove his critics wrong that a wild card selection he was awarded was important as he hopes to firm Kenya's grip on the gold medal in the water and hurdle competition.
In marathon, the favorites include 44-year-old Kenneth Mungara, world fourth finisher Callum Hawkins from Scotland, former world bronze medalist Solomon Mutai from Uganda and reigning champion Michael Shelley from Australia.
South Africa's 800m Olympic champion Caster Semenya will be looking to complete the set of major titles but will face off against Olympic bronze medalist Margaret Wambui and youngster Emily Tuei, who won the Kenyan Trials in 1:58.25.
In the absence of world and Olympic champion in the 1,500m race Faith Kipyegon, Semenya will be looking for a middle distance double. Kenya is fielding a strong trio including Winny Chebet and Beatrice Chepkoech.
There is world champion Hellen Obiri as a strong favorite in the 5,000m race while in 10,000m the Kenyan trio includes trials winner Sandra Chebet and Stacy Ndiwa but Uganda's Mercyline Chelangat and Rwanda's Salome Nyirarukundo will be looking to challenge.
