Juliana Anyango /HANDOUT 
African Games bronze medallist Juliana Anyango is hoping to use the upcoming Commonwealth Games as a key gauge in her pursuit of an Olympic berth as she builds steadily toward the Los Angeles 2028 Games.
The women’s 86kg weightlifter will make her Commonwealth Games debut in July in Glasgow, Scotland, viewing the championships as a crucial benchmark in testing her readiness against top-level competition.
With her sights firmly set on the Olympics, Anyango says she is training hard and eager to challenge herself at a higher level after gaining confidence from continental success and valuable lessons on the world stage.
Her progress has been boosted by inclusion in the inaugural National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK) Individual Athlete Scholarship Programme, a long-term initiative supported by Olympic Solidarity and designed to prepare elite athletes for Los Angeles 2028.
The scholarship, which runs through August 2028, provides financial and technical support covering training, coaching, competition exposure and athlete welfare. Anyango earned selection after her podium finish at the 2024 African Games and exposure at the World Championships.
She announced herself on the continental stage in Accra, Ghana, where she competed in the women’s 81kg category and claimed three bronze medals with a total lift of 165kg — 73kg in the snatch and 92kg in the clean and jerk — finishing behind Egypt’s Sara Samir and Cameroon’s Jean Gaelle Eyenga Mbo’ossi.
The performance confirmed her potential at the elite level and earned her a place at the 2025 IWF World Championships in Forde, Norway, where she stepped up to the women’s 86kg class.
Although she admits she “didn’t do so well” at the worlds, Anyango says the experience was invaluable. “It taught me a lot about the physical and mental demands of international competition,” she said, adding that the exposure has shaped her long-term growth.
Training in Kitengela under coaches James Adede and Douglas Locho, Anyango revealed that inconsistent finances had previously limited her to one training session a day.
“It has been draining,” she said. “Once you are stable, it enables you to be stable both in training and on competition day.”
She credits her coaches and the federation for constant support, saying they often stepped in to provide equipment and transport when resources were scarce.
Injuries and lack of transport remain among the biggest challenges she has faced, disruptions she says can derail even the best preparation.
The NOCK scholarship has now eased that burden. “It means a lot to me because it will cater for my training,” Anyango said.
“Now I can focus fully on preparation instead of worrying about daily expenses.” With consistent training now possible, Anyango believes the Commonwealth Games will offer a true measure of her progress — and an important step on her Olympic pathway..