Fast-rising Kenyan javelin thrower Kilonzo set to open his season in Uganda on March 14

Kenyan javelin thrower Boniface Kilonzo will open his season in Uganda on March 14 as he seeks to qualify for the Africa Championships and the Commonwealth Games later this year.

Kilonzo will use the event to gauge his form ahead of the national trials set for March 28.

“My target is to qualify for the Africa Athletics Championships and the Commonwealth Games,” Kilonzo said, noting that the Uganda meet will mark his first outing of the year. “ The Uganda event will be my season opener, coming ahead of the  March 28 trials.”

The thrower heads into the season buoyed by encouraging progress in training, which has helped him strengthen his physical conditioning, mental resilience and technical execution under coach Joseph Musonik.

“Training is good, and there has been a lot of improvement. We have sharpened strength, mental focus and technical aspects with my coach,” he said.

Kilonzo’s personal best stands at 70.68 metres, but the athlete believes he is capable of pushing well beyond that mark this season as he targets the elite 80-metre range. “In the new season, my target is 80 metres,” he said.

“Last season, I had three personal bests, and I managed to hit the 70-metre mark three times, which shows there has been steady improvement.”

He added that his throws in training have also been promising, giving him confidence heading into the competitive calendar.

“Even in training, I have been hitting personal best distances. I have added power, strength and improved my technique, and I have also developed a strong mindset.”

However, Kilonzo admitted he has been managing an elbow injury sustained earlier this year, though the situation has improved significantly in recent weeks.

“I had an elbow injury from January 5, and it affected me for about a month, but now it feels much better,” he said.

Kilonzo said qualifying for Team Kenya would be a major career boost as it would open the doors to continental and global competition.

“It is important to make Team Kenya because it gives you a ticket to the Africa Championships,” he said. “Usually more than four throwers compete, and you have to finish among the top two.”

The athlete is also drawing inspiration from some of the world’s leading javelin stars, including Julius Yego (Kenya), Neeraj Chopra (India) and Johannes Vetter (Germany). 

With improved preparation and growing confidence, Kilonzo now believes the coming competitions could be the breakthrough he needs as he pursues qualification and ultimately a place on the medal podium.

Kilonzo also appealed for more support to enable African throwers to compete internationally, as many athletes record their best performances outside the continent.

“I appeal to sponsors to support athletes to compete outside Africa because the wind conditions here are usually stronger,” he said.

“Most African throwers achieve their personal bests abroad. Even for our very own Julius Yego, his best performances were not achieved in Kenya.”