Depleted Kenyans still ready to go the distance

NAIROBI - Kenya's athletes were set to fly to London's World Athletics Championships on Tuesday, their hopes for domination battered by the last-minute withdrawal of 800m Olympic champion David Rudisha with a quad injury.

Olympic 3,000m steeplechase runner Conseslus Kipruto was aiming to add a world title to the gold he won in Rio last year, and three-time world 1500m champion Asbel Kiprop has vowed to retain his crown at the global showcase, which opens on Friday.

But Rudisha's torn muscle robbed him of his chance to go for a third world title and gave his team a steeper climb up the medals table, which it topped in Beijing two years ago.