Ammon News - By Mutwiri Mutuota

Kenyan athletics performances in 2008 have been hailed as the most memorable in the history of the sport.

In 2009, Kenyans, who had suffered malnutrition of success in recent years, expect the feel good factor and top performances to continue.

So, what are we looking forward to in the new year?

The Kenya Cross-Country Trials at Ngong will set the tone for the rest of the athletics year in the absence of the World Indoor Championships.

Competition in the senior races will witness a blend of graduating juniors taking on established names.

The resurgent 2006 World Cross junior champions, Mangata Ndiwa (men), Pauline Korikwiang (women), double Africa Junior champion, Matthew Kisorio and World Junior champion Mercy Cherono are some of the young guns aiming to make roaring senior debuts in Amman.

Seasoned campaigners like World Cross senior silver medallist, Leonard Komon (men), bronze medallist, Linet Masai (women), Olympic bronze winners, Micah Kogo (10,000m) and Edwin Soi (5,000m), fourth finisher, Moses Masai, women’s steeplechase silver medallist, Eunice Jepkorir and World silver winner, Vivian Cheruiyot (5,000m), among others, stand in their way.

What makes the competition stiffer is the fact that unlike recent times, only 24 slots are available in the national team, down from 27. The three extra slots were available for the men’s team that had nine competitors with the rest, senior women, junior men and junior women taking six.

Changes in the rules where countries will be permitted to field six in all four categories (four to score) means that competition for places in the senior men’s squad for Amman will be cut throat to say the least.

While wishing the athletics fraternity a prosperous 2009, Athletics Kenya secretary, David Okeyo, told FeverPitch, "We will not carry extras or invite reserves to the Amman team. Athletes should be ready to fight for the available places."

At the event itself, the country expects a better showing than Edinburgh 2008 where none of the Kenyan runners bagged individual gold as Ethiopians stole the show. Kenyans perform well in searing conditions, if the 2007 World Cross in Mombasa 2007, World Championships in Osaka and the Beijing Olympics, to mention a few, are anything to go by.

Therefore, the desert conditions of Amman could favour Kenyan runners but the questions remain: Will the senior men runners stop Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele from winning a record seventh title?

Will a senior female Kenyan bag a first ever title? It will be revealed on March 28.