The 2024 African decathlon silver medallist Edwin Too has urged Athletics Kenya (AK) to stage more decathlon events next season to give local athletes a better chance of meeting the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games entry standards early enough.
The qualifying standard for the Games in the decathlon stands at 7,500 points.
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Too, who boasts a personal best of 7,359 points set during last year’s third AK weekend meeting at Nyayo Stadium, believes regular competition will be crucial in hitting the mark.
“To ensure Kenyan decathletes meet the Commonwealth Games entry standards early, AK needs to organise more decathlon events once the track season kicks off next year,” Too said in an interview with the Star.
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“If we can get two or three decathlon meets before the Commonwealth Games trials, that will help us a lot to sharpen our form and push for the qualifying marks. We hope AK also considers us decathletes once the track season starts.”
"And because decathlon is a very technical event, we would like to have meetings in standardised stadiums like Ulinzi and Nyayo."
Too lamented Kenya’s seven-year absence from the Club Games in the discipline.
“The last time we had a decathlete at the Commonwealth Games was in 2018. It’s high time we have more representatives next year,” he said.
At the 2018 Games in Gold Coast, Australia, Kenya fielded a lone competitor, Gilbert Koech, who amassed 7,009 points to finish eighth, while also lowering his personal best.
The event was won by Grenada’s Lindon Victor with 8,303 points, followed by Canada’s Pierce LePage (8,171) and Australia’s Cedric Dubler (7,983).
The 30-year-old is bullish about making his maiden global appearance in Scotland after testing himself on the continental stage earlier this year.
At the 2024 African Games in Accra, Ghana, Too posted 7,140 points to claim silver behind South Africa’s Fredriech Pretorius, who claimed gold in 7,550.
Algeria’s Dhiae Boudoumi took bronze with 6,943 points.
Too believes the continental experience will serve as a major boost ahead of the Commonwealth campaign.
“I believe the experience from the African Games will be an added advantage as I prepare for the Commonwealth Games,” he noted.
He added that competing in Glasgow would offer invaluable exposure.
“Competing in Scotland will be very important for me because I’ll face some of the world’s top decathletes,” he said.
“It will be a privilege to go up against athletes like LePage of Canada and Lindon of Grenada. I’m confident I’ll come back with several personal bests in different events.”
Too has already rolled out his preparations for the 2026 season after taking a short off-season break.
“I closed off my 2025 season early during the National Championships in June, so I had about two months off,” he explained.
“I have now started my preparations for next year to ensure I am in top form.”
The versatile athlete has enlisted the help of several coaches and training partners to fine-tune his craft.
“For the sprints, I am working under coach Perpetual Mbutu of Utawala sprints club, while for throws, especially the shot put, I am training with Peter Mwangi, the national champion,” Too said.
“I’ll also look for coaches to assist in my jumps, although that’s already one of my strong areas. I just want to perfect myself.”
He emphasised the importance of endurance and conditioning in his buildup. “I am doing a lot of gym and hill work for strength and power,” he revealed.
“I’m also focusing on conditioning because the decathlon is a full-day event that demands immense stamina to get through all the disciplines.”
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