Athletes compete in the men's 5,000m at the AK trials/ TEDDY MULEIAthletics Kenya President Jackson Tuwei is confident that the 74-strong Kenyan contingent bound for the African Senior Championships in Accra, Ghana, next month has the quality to rewrite record books, riding on a wave of scintillating performances witnessed at the national trials.
AK staged combined trials for the continental championships and the World Relays at the Ulinzi Sports Complex over the weekend, where a highly competitive field saw 74 athletes punch their tickets in emphatic fashion.
Kenya’s charge at the May 12-17 championships will be marshalled by seasoned campaigners, including five-time African javelin king Julius Yego and world 1,500m bronze medallist Reynold Cheruiyot.
However, it was the avalanche of national records at the trials that truly stole the spotlight, underlining a squad hitting peak form at the right moment.
Decathlete Edwin Too smashed his national record, amassing a commanding 7,179 points to eclipse the previous mark of 7,140 set at the 2024 African Games.
Nathan Kemboi produced a throw of 59.26m to improve the African T46 javelin record, obliterating his previous mark of 54.11m set earlier this season at the Dubai World Para Athletics Grand Prix.
Field events continued to sparkle as Belinda Oburu etched her name into history, launching the shot put to 15.74m to break a 39-year national record of 15.60m held by Elizabeth Olaba.
The upward trajectory extended to the high jump, where Faith Kipsang soared to a new national mark of 1.80m, bettering the 1.75m set by Zeddy Chesire in 2023.
Meanwhile, Dominic Abunda tightened his grip on the men’s hammer throw record, sending the implement out to 62.60m to edge past his previous best of 62.57m set in 2018.
Buoyed by the dominant showing, Tuwei believes the momentum will continue into the continental showdown.
“I believe there will be more national records in Accra. If they have done it here, they will face even stiffer competition at the African Championships,” he said.
He underscored the magnitude of the task ahead, noting that Kenya’s athletes will be up against the very best from the continent.
“They will be facing athletes from all 54 member countries of Africa, so there is no doubt the competition will be very tough.”
Despite, Tuwei remains convinced that the challenge will inspire, not intimidate.
“Unless the athletes get scared, which I don’t think they will, they should definitely come back with more records from Ghana," he said.
The AK boss exuded confidence that Kenya can improve on its showing at the 2024 edition in Douala, where the team finished second overall with 19 medals (five gold, seven silver and seven bronze), behind South Africa, who had a superior gold tally of nine.
“I believe with the confidence they have, they should bring even better results,” added Tuwei.
He pointed to the youthful composition of the squad as a sign of a bright future.
“Some of the selected athletes are young and have never represented Kenya before. It shows we are nurturing the next generation well. These are the athletes who will carry the baton forward. We can look ahead to the championships with a lot of confidence," he observed.
In a firm statement of intent on integrity, AK has embedded an Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) official in the team to help safeguard clean competition.
“Sometimes we test our athletes here at home and they are clean, but by the time they are tested at competitions, something is different,” Tuwei noted. “We need to understand exactly what happens, and that is ADAK’s mandate.”
“We wish them (team) all the best as they go out to represent the country," he concluded.
Comments 0
Sign in to join the conversation
Sign In Create AccountNo comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!