Maureen Jelagat eyes Rio glory after London flop

Maureen Jelegat in action during a training session on June 13, 2016 at Safaricom Stadium, Kasarani. PHOTO | CHRIS OMOLLO |

What you need to know:

  • Maureen Jelagat Maiyo will be hoping to atone for poor performance in the 2012 Olympics where she fell fell down.
  • She is optimistic Team Kenya will perform better in Rio as compared to the 2012 edition in London.

As Team Kenya athletes prepare to leave for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, one runner will be out to literary pick up the pieces after a poor showing at the 2012 edition of the Games in London.

Africa 400 metres hurdles silver medallist Maureen Jelagat Maiyo will be hoping to atone for poor performance in the 2012 Olympics where she fell fell down.

But first, her main goal is to get to the final, then she can strategise on how to win a medal in the race.

“I fell down during my race at the 2012 Olympics and lost a chance to get a medal but this year I want to perform better since I have done enough training,” Jelagat said on Saturday after her training session at Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret.

She says the altitude in Eldoret has provided a perfect setting for her training.

“Kipchoge Keino Stadium has provided perfect training conditions for me and I hope to run well and even get my personal best in the Olympic Games next month,” she added.

Some weeks before the trials in Eldoret, Jelagat represented Kenya in the Africa Championships held in Durban, South Africa where she ran 56:12 secs and claimed a silver medal in the 400m hurdles before taking bronze with the 4x400 relay team.

Jelagat, who hails from Kapsowar, Elgeyo Marakwet, started her running career in 2010 and went on to claim a bronze medal in the 400m hurdles and silver medal in the 4x400m relay at the 2010 Africa Athletics Championships in Nairobi.

She came fourth in the 2011 All Africa Games held in Maputo and wound up sixth in the 2012 Africa Championships in Porto Novo, Benin.

At the 2014 Commonwealth Games, she managed to get to the semi-finals of 400m hurdles before coming fifth in the Africa Championships held in Marrakech that year. During the 2015 World Championships in Beijing, Jelagatreached the semi finals of her speciality on her way to recording her personal best of 51.40sec.

She has since focused her training on hurdles to sharpen her skills. “My speed is just fine but I have been perfecting on how to jump hurdles since I don’t want to fall again at the Olympics,” said Jelagat.

She is optimistic Team Kenya will perform better in Rio as compared to the 2012 edition in London.