By Majuto Omary
The Citizen Reporter
Dar es Salaam. As the World’s crème of athletes fine-tune for this year’s Birmingham Grand Prix, Tanzania’s middle distance star Zakia Mrisho believes she has what it takes to make her presence felt at the event.

Zakia is one of the star athletes from various countries across the world expected to battle it out for top honours at the race set for February 18 in England.In an interview with The Citizen yesterday, Zakia said she was in great shape, looking forward to making her presence felt in what promises to be an exhilarating day of sport.

 Widely regarded as the world’s best indoor athletics event, the Aviva Grand Prix brings together the Aviva GB&NI team with elite athletes from  all around the world.

“I’m happy that I’ve shaken off a leg injury that almost forced me to skip the Birmingham race,” said Zakia.
“Now, I am fine and I hope to snatch one of the top honours at the event,” she added.

The runner said she would compete in three disciplines at the Birmingham Grand Prix.“A challenging task lies ahead of me because I expect to compete in three disciplines at the Birmingham race,” she said.Zakia, the country’s lone flag bearer at the event, will battle it out for top honours in the women’s 1,500m, 3000m and 5000m races.

For his part, her manager Zacharia Gwandu said the Birmingham Grand Prix will serve as a beneficial warm up for the runner ahead of the 2012 London Olympic Games.
Zakia, the only local athlete at last year’s IAAF World Athletics Championship in Daegu, South Korea, is one of the country’s best runners at the moment.

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