Kenyan sprinter Nkanata clocks season’s best time
From left: Montserrat's Julius Morris, Papua New Guinea's Ruwan Gunasinghe and Kenya's Carvin Nkanata compete in the heats of the men's 200m athletics event at Hampden Park during the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland on July 30, 2014. AFP PHOTO / ADRIAN DENNIS
What you need to know:
- Nkanata also broke his own Kenyan record of 20.17 seconds he set last April in Tennesse, almost one year after setting another national record of 20.32 at the Division One Championships in Princeton, USA.
- The 24-year-old Nkanata represented Kenya at the World Relay Championships in Bahamas and Commonwealth Games last year.
- Head coach Sammy Rono said Nkanata, who reached the semi-finals at the 2013 Commonwealth Games in 20.65, should be included in Kenya’s team for the World Relays Championships set for May 1-2 to Bahamas.
United States of America-based Kenyan, Carvin Nkanata, broke his own national record over 200m for the third consecutive time at the NTC Pure Athletics Sprint Festival in Clermont, Florida, on Saturday night.
Nkanata proved that Kenyans can also be successful in sprints besides middle and long distance races when he clocked a world-leading mark of 20.14 seconds over the distance.
Nkanata also broke his own Kenyan record of 20.17 seconds he set last April in Tennesse, almost one year after setting another national record of 20.32 at the Division One Championships in Princeton, USA.
Parko Seribe from Botswana, who recently graced the National Relays Championships at Kasarani with his 4x400m team, held the previous world lead of 20.17 from an event held in February at Molepolole Sports Complex, Botswana.
Another world-leading mark was set by Great Britain’s Tiffany Porter in the women’s 100m hurdles. The defending European champion in her first race of the season took the top spot with a blistering time of 12.56 seconds.
In the women’s 100m final, double European sprint champion Netherland’s Dafe Shippers posted wind aided (+4.0m/s) 10.90 seconds for the win, while Trinidad and Tobago sprinter Keston Bledman took top spot with a time of 9.94 seconds wind +3.4 m/s.
HE REPRESENTED KENYA
The 24-year-old Nkanata represented Kenya at the World Relay Championships in Bahamas and Commonwealth Games last year.
He teamed up with Stephen Barasa, Tony Kipruto Chirchir and Walter Moenga to finish fifth in the 4x200m final, in a national record of 1:22.35 at the World Relays.
Head coach Sammy Rono said Nkanata, who reached the semi-finals at the 2013 Commonwealth Games in 20.65, should be included in Kenya’s team for the World Relays Championships set for May 1-2 to Bahamas.
“His performance speaks for itself and we have asked Athletics Kenya to include him in the 4x200m team,” said Rono. The team has Mike Mokamba, who has the fastest time of 20.60, Pius Muya, Geoffrey Kiprotich, Collins Omae and Mark Otieno.
