World U20 Championships: Kenyan juniors on mission in Cali

Margaret Gati

Margaret Gati on course to victory in the women's 10,000 metres race walk during the Athletics Kenya Under-20 national trials at Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi. Gati qualified for the World Under-20 Championships in Cali, Colombia after crossing the line in 49:14. 8.
 

Photo credit: Bernard Rotich | Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

  • Kenya led in the medal standings with 16 medals (eight gold, one silver and seven bronze) when the country hosted the delayed 2020 World Under-20 Athletics Championships last year.

We are on a mission. We are the defending champions, and we are going to jealously guard the overall title which we have won twice in a row."

That was the message from Kenya’s team manager Joseph Ilovi in the final moments before the squad of 28 athletes left the country on Friday for the 19th edition of the World Athletics Under-20 Championships which will be held from August 1-6 at the Pascual Guerrero Olympics Stadium in Cali, Colombia.

“We are going for the third straight title, and we hope everything will go according to plan. The athletes have trained well, and picked up momentum according to plan. We now only need to go and actualise what we have done in training,” Ilovi said on Thursday evening at the team’s residential training camp at Kasarani in Nairobi. The athletes have been in residential training from July 7.

Kenya led in the medal standings with 16 medals (eight gold, one silver and seven bronze) when the country hosted the delayed 2020 World Under-20 Athletics Championships last year.

Kenya also led in the table of standings in the 2018 edition of the junior championships held at Tampere Stadium in Tampere, Finland with 11 medals (six gold, four bronze and one silver).

The team, which has 14 male athletes and an equal number of female athletes, leaves the country on Friday at 2359 hours aboard KLM flight to Amsterdam, from where it will connect to Panama City and finally to Cali, Columbia.

Reigning world under-20 10,000 metres race walk champion Herristone Wanyonyi is the overall team captain, deputised by Winny Chapng’etich - Team Kenya’s only field athlete who will compete in both the triple jump, and the long jump.

Kenyan athletes will seek to defend eight titles in the junior track and field championships, something Ilovi believes is within reach for the team.

“We have defending champions, and bronze medallists in the team who competed in Nairobi last year, and I believe we have what it takes to win the championship,” Ilovi said in reference to Kenyan athletes who took the top position in the delayed 2020 World Athletics Under-20 Championships held from August 17-22 last year at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani.

“The United States of America were not in Nairobi last year, but we beat them in (the 2018 edition held in Tampere) Finland. We are not scared of anybody, and we are ready to face the world in Cali,” Ilovi said.

Head coach Robert Ngisirei is happy with the effort his team has applied in training.

“The team is well balanced in terms of gender, which is a good thing. However, we know we should produce more sprinters and athletes in field events,” he said.

Coach Ngisirei hopes that long and triple jump athlete Chapng’etich will inspire others to take up competitions in the field events.

“We are lucky to have had an athlete who qualified for the world championships directly by meeting the set standard. The lady long jumper is among those who attended Kenya’s pre-championship training camp in Miramas (France). The team is full-house and ready to go, although we need to groom more sprinters and athletes in field events. The boys and girls in Team Kenya are in good shape, and we hope to see them win medals in Cali,” coach Ngisirei said.

Competitors in the biennial championships must be 19 years old or younger as at December 31.