Second batch of athletes leaves for Rio

Mike Mokamba wins the men's 200m men final during the national trials for the World Athletics Championship and All Africa Games on August 1, 2015 at Safaricom Stadium. The second batch of Team Kenya athletes comprising sprinters and race walkers left the country on Sunday morning for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. PHOTO | CHRIS OMOLLO |

What you need to know:

  • National champions Alphas Kishoyian and Mike Mokamba will be out to reach the finals of their respective events in national record-breaking times.
  • World 400m hurdles champion Nicholas Bett will be hoping to put behind the low Diamond League season with a performance that will erase what critics are now calling him a one-hit wonder.
  • Kenya’s only representative in women’s sprints, Maureen Jelagat, is hoping for a better showing, having failed to go past the first round at the 2012 London Olympics.

The second batch of Team Kenya athletes comprising sprinters and race walkers left the country on Sunday morning for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

National champions Alphas Kishoyian (400m) and Mike Mokamba (200m) will be out to reach the finals of their respective events in national record-breaking times.

Kishoyian will team up with Raymond Kibet and former junior prodigy Alex Sampao while Mokamba will line up alongside record holder Calvin Nkanata in the 200m race.

World 400m hurdles champion Nicholas Bett will be hoping to put behind the low Diamond League season with a performance that will erase what critics are now calling him a one-hit wonder.

Mucheru will be partnering with his twin brother and Africa 400m hurdles bronze medallist Harun Koech and Africa 400m hurdles champion Boniface Mucheru, who also won the national trials.

Kenya’s only representative in women’s sprints, Maureen Jelagat, is hoping for a better showing, having failed to go past the first round at the 2012 London Olympics. She competed in 400m at the 2013 World Championships where she lost in the first round before reaching the semi-finals at 2015 World Championships.

MEMORABLE MARK

Africa race walk champions Grace Wanjiru and Samuel Gathimba promised to set Rio alight as they make their debut at the Olympics.  Gathimba will field in men’s 20km race walk alongside Simon Wachira.

“It’s been hard work in training on our part. I hope to leave a memorable mark on my Olympics debut,” said Kishoyian, 22, who has personal best of 44.75 secs and is eyeing the national record of 44.18 set by Samson Kitur at the  1992 Barcelona Olympic Games. “I want to reach the final. The national record has stood for long and it should go.”

Mokamba, who boasts a personal best of 20.38secs, hopes to reach the final, having lost in the first round at the World Championships last year in Beijing. “I thank God I have realised my dream of competing at the Olympics, but I want to the final and improving my PB in a national record,” said Mokamba, 21. 

“I have worked on my clearance over the hurdles and I am good to go,” said Bett.

“I know I have had a bad outing at the Diamond league events but that is gone and I want that top podium finish in Rio.”

Bett, who gave Kenya its maiden sprints gold at the World Championships last year, is glad that Kenya is taking a clean team to Rio.