Team Kenya for the World Athletics under-20 championships ramped up its training in Kasarani stadium in preparation for the global event set for the 5th to 9th next month in Oregon, USA.
The team of 12 boys and 11 girls reported to the residential training camp early this week, almost six weeks after the trials, which were held at Nyayo Stadium.
For the first time, Kenya will be represented in the field event at the global championship, with African U-20 silver medalist Kelvin Bii participating in the triple jump.
According to team co-captain Nehemiah Kipng’eno, training has progressed well since they reported to camp, as he aims to retain the 5,000m title won by Andrew Alamisi in 2024.
“Training is progressing well. We appreciate that we have everything we need at the camp. I’m now working on speed, which was one of my challenges during the trials, and I have improved greatly am sure I will be okay by the time we travel to the USA,” said Kipngeno
Kipng’eno also exuded confidence with the team’s performance, “We hope for the best performance as the team is well disciplined and focused on their training.”
The team’s co-captain, Joyline Chepkemoi, hailed the good cooperation in training amongst athletes.
“The team’s training is good, no complaint so far, my focus is to bring a medal in 5,000m, this being my last junior outing,” said Chepkemoi
Head coach Robert Ng’isirei is confident in the team and is hopeful of a better medal haul in Oregon, USA.
“Since we reported to camp, we have been doing well, the athletes are in good shape, and we hope for a better outing. Currently, we are working on endurance and speed as well as avoiding injuries,” said coach Ngisirei
Despite being optimistic about getting between 6 and 8 gold medals, coach Ng’isirei is wary of the threat from other countries such as the USA, Australia,Uganda, and Ethiopia.
“I have a disciplined and hardworking team that is ready. We expect stiff competition from many countries, unlike before, when we only expected competition from Ethiopia and Uganda. We also have the USA and Australia, and that is why we want to train to be on par with them. ” I’m expecting between 6 and 8 gold medals this time round,” continued Ng’isirei
Athletics Kenya Youth Director Barnaba Korir, who visited the team’s training camp, assured them of full support to ensure they deliver the best results.
“I have seen their faces; they are very young, and these are the categories we want to have as we are committed to ending age cheating. I want to see that they get all the requirements as they continue with their training,” Korir stated
Korir added that they are using the team to prepare for the 2028 and 2032 Olympics.
“It’s not only about Oregon, it’s about the future, but also about the 2028 and 2032 Olympics and whatever we get from here is about the future,” Korir added
Kenya is targeting to better its 2024 outing in Lima, Peru, where it finished 5th overall with 3 gold,3 silver, and a bronze.
The 21st World Athletics Championship is set to be held in Oregon, USA, from the 5th to the 9th of next month.
