Kenya’s Daniel Komen already has a good claim to being one of the greatest long distance runners the world has ever seen. World records and world championship gold medals were achieved in both the junior and senior ranks - and all before his 22^nd birthday.

Only two accolades are missing from his formidable list of honours, an Olympic gold medal and an individual world cross country medal of a similar hue.

He will have to wait another two years before he can attempt to add Olympic honours but the only a matter of days separate him from his bid to realise his ambition of a world cross country title.

As holder of the world 3,000m, two miles and 5,000m world records he is inevitably the favourite in Marrakech to become the inaugural champion in the short, four kilometre, event.

"I’ve always wanted to win a world cross country title. Among the Kenyan runners this is almost as prized an Olympic gold medal. Top runners know just how tough it is to win a world cross country gold medal," said Komen, speaking from Kenya where he is preparing for his challenge.

The one and only time he has run before in the World Cross Country Championships was in 1994. After making most of the running around the Budapest racecourse in the junior race he finished second behind his compatriot Philip Mosima.

"I’ve wanted to go back to the world cross country however I have been often frustrated by some small injuries at this time of the year."

"Also it is very difficult to make the world cross country team in Kenya. Every good runner trains especially hard to try and qualify and there are many very good runners who don’t make the team. After 1994 I was concentrating more on speed work rather than training to race over 12km," he added.

"This year the introduction of the 4km race suits me perfectly. It means I do not have to change my training plans."

However not even Komen was certain of a place on the plane to Morocco after he decided not to contest the Kenyan cross country championships, heading south to race on the track in Australia.

"No one spoke to me about running in Marrakesh but when I heard that I was in the team I thought ‘Yes, I like the idea."

Komen may be favourite but he will not have the overwhelming odds that he would accompany him were the race to be on the track or the road.

As he readily admits, cross country is the surface that he is least comfortable on and he has occasionally suffered defeats on rough terrain.

If Komen is not to have the gold medal hung around his neck then that privilege may go to his compatriot and regular training partner John Kibowen.

Kibowen, 28, has a 1,500m time of 3:30.44 to his credit but showed that he has got stamina as well in the Kenyan cross country championships.

After missing the start of the 4km race due to being stuck in Nairobi traffic, he was a late entrant in the longer 12km race and lead it for much of the way before eventually finishing a more than respectable third behind winner Paul Koech and reigning world champion Paul Tergat.

There is a well known breakfast cereal called Special K, but the first ever men’s 4km world cross country race looks like it might have its own product going by this name - Kenya, Komen and maybe Kibowen.

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