Kenyan athletes in Tokyo eager to showcase talent at World Championships
When the World Championships take place in Tokyo, Japan, later this year, Kenyan athletes based in the host nation are eager to showcase their talent on home soil.
Speaking to People Sport in Nyahururu, several athletes currently on their annual holiday expressed a strong desire to compete in the championships, which will run from September 13-21 at the Japan National Stadium.
However, they admitted feeling the pressure of meeting qualifying standards and securing their places in the national team.
Former athlete Daniel Njenga, now a coach in Japan, highlighted the challenges Kenyan runners face. “The herculean task is first attaining the qualifying time and then making the team during the national trials,” said Njenga, who coaches Stanley Waithaka in Japan. Waithaka won silver in the 10,000m at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, USA.
This marks the third time the championships will be held in Japan, following the 1991 event in Tokyo and the 2007 edition in Osaka. When Kenya last competed in Japan, the country earned an impressive haul of 13 medals (five gold, three silver and five bronze) finishing second on the medal table behind the United States.
John Kamau, who has a personal best (PB) of 27:15 in the 10,000m, is among those determined to compete at the 20th World Championships. “I am going back to Japan to pace in the Hofu Marathon, a World Athletics Elite Label Road Race, on February 1 and then return to seriously train with the World Championship qualification in mind,” said Kamau, referring to the 27:00 qualifying standard for the 10,000m.
Rose Wangui, 19, who boasts a PB of 8:50 in the 3000m and 4:10 in the 1500m, and Jeremiah Wainaina, a budding long-distance runner, are also eyeing the championships.
The two Sera High School students in Japan are in Nyahururu for the holidays before heading back for graduation. They are yet to decide whether to proceed to university or join corporate teams.
Another athlete with aspirations for the championships is Eliud Kahiga, the younger brother of 2012 and 2016 Olympian Bedan Karoki. Kahiga, who has PBs of 28:20 in the 10,000m, 13:35 in the 5000m, and 7:56 in the 3000m, is set to graduate in March from Sedai Ikue High School, where the late Samuel Kamau Wanjiru also studied.
Kahiga plans to join Musashino University but admits feeling anxious about meeting the qualifying standards for the event.
These are just a few of the many Kenyan athletes in Japan who are eager to participate in the Tokyo Championships, not as spectators but as competitors.
Those intending to compete have until August to meet the qualifying standards for their respective events.