Kenya’s 2020 Olympic preps right on track

What you need to know:

  • However, this is not to say that the youthful athletes should sit on the laurels and relax.
  • A lot will need to be done in the next few days if they are to match the top runners in their respective cadres.

We are no doubt on the right course in as far as our preparations for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games is concerned if the results of the just concluded World Under-20 Championships in Tampere, Finland are anything to go by.

Yes, Kenya finished top of the world with six gold medals, four silver and one bronze— a feat achieved almost eight years ago.

This was a good show considering the last time Kenya won the overall title at the global show was in 2010 in Moncton, Canada where we harvested seven gold, four silver and four bronze.

It was a good feeling especially relegating our perennial rivals Jamaica and USA to the second and third places respectively. Jamaica had four gold, five silver and three bronze medals while United States collected three gold, eight silver and seven bronze medals.

Ethiopia’s situation was even worse as they placed fourth with three gold, two silver and four bronze.

Kenya’s gold medals were won by George Manangoi (1,500m), Rhonex Kipruto (10,000), Beatrice Chebet (5,000m), Celiphine Chespol (3,000m SC), Edward Zakayo (5,000m) and Solomon Lekuta (800m). Stanley Waithaka (5,000m), Ngeno Kipngetich (800m), Leonard Bett (3,000SC) Miriam Cherop (1,500m) settled for silver medals while Justus Soget won the sole bronze medal.

Clearly, the results are not a fluke.

We have build over the time as a country. If your memory serves you right and I hope it does, these are the same runners who represented Kenya in the World Under-18 Championships in Nairobi last year.

Our agenda then was to prepare them for Tokyo 2020 Olympics and I am sure we are on course towards achieving that dream. Zakayo especially, has been on the upward projectory and there seem to be no stopping him.

He was also impressive at the April’s Commonwealth Games, placing third in the 5,000m —a feat that has been achieved by very few athletes at that age.

Rhonex, Chebet, Chespol and Lekuta are the other fast-rising athletes to watch. In fact, prior to Tokyo 2020, I see many senior athletes being locked out of next year’s World Championships in Doha,Qatar.

However, this is not to say that the youthful athletes should sit on the laurels and relax.

A lot will need to be done in the next few days if they are to match the top runners in their respective cadres.