By Ben Efe, In New Delhi
Traditionally, the battle for top athletics nation in the Commonwealth has been fought out between Australia and England, but Kenya could intrude on this long-time rivalry when the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games athletics programme starts at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Wednesday.

Twelve times in the 18 editions of the Commonwealth Games  Australia and England, ‘the old rivals’, have occupied the top two positions on the medal table _ although in Melbourne in 2006, it was Australia on top, followed by Jamaica, and Kenya with England a disappointing fourth.

At the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games the threat to the top two is expected to come not from Jamaica, which has seen its sprint power diminished by the unavailability of many stars, but from Kenya, which has most of its strong middle and long_distance squad available.

On 2010 performances, Kenya should dominate the Men’s 800m through Boaz Lanlang, the 1,500m with Silas Kiplagat, the 5000m which features Eliud Kipchoge, the 10,000m with Daniel Salel  and the 3,000m steeplechase featuring 2008 Olympic champion Brimin Kiptorni

In Women’s events, Kenya has the top ranked runners in the 1500m with Olympic champion Nancy Langat, the 5000m featuring world champion Vivian Cheruyot, and the 10,000m which will see the talented youngster Doris Chengeywo in action.

Kenya has a solid chance of winning all eight of those events, and could also lay claim to favouritism in the Women’s 800m, 3000m steeplechase and Marathon, and the Men’s 4×400 m Relay.

Any event would miss world and Olympic champion Usain Bolt, fellow Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell and Dani Samuels of Australia, who in 2009 became the youngest female ever to win the Discus world championships gold, but once the first starting gun echoes around the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Wednesday the emphasis will be on those who are here, rather than those who are not.

There will be plenty of attention on current world and Olympic champions such as Ezekiel Kemboi CHEMBOI (KEN) in the Men’s 3,000m Steeplechase, pole vaulter Steve HOOKER (AUS), New Zealand shot putter Valerie Adams of New Zealand and Fabrice L apierre of Australia, in the Men’s Long Jump.