Mark Otieno sets targets as he embarks on Olympic preps

Kenyan sprinter Mark Otieno has set his sights on qualifying for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

He has revealed that he must run a time of under 10.00 seconds before June 30, 2024, to secure his spot in the Olympic Games.

Mark Otieno’s preps

To achieve this goal, he has embarked on his off-season training, determined to surpass his personal best record by 0.05 seconds.

In a tweet, Otieno expressed his commitment to his Olympic journey.

“Off-season training begins today, marking day 1 of my path to the Olympics. I need to run 10.00s before June 30th, 2024. My personal best is 10.05s, so that means setting a new personal best to make it to the Olympics. I am grateful for the chance at redemption,” he posted.

Otieno had faced a two-year ban for violating anti-doping regulations due to a positive test for the banned anabolic steroid methasterone. This suspension led to his exclusion from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, just moments before his scheduled 100m heats.

However, Otieno successfully appealed the ban, resulting in a reduction in his suspension period. His ban for breaching anti-doping rules expired on Monday, July 31, 2023, making him eligible to compete once again.

How Mark Otieno rose

Otieno first gained attention in the athletics world by running a hand-timed 10.1 seconds and finishing second in the Kenyan trials for the World Championships in Beijing.

He continued to demonstrate his potential and determination by lowering his official best time to 10.39 seconds, earning him a well-deserved second place at the Kenyan Championships.

In 2017, Otieno made a significant impact on the sport by clocking an impressive time of 10.14 seconds during the Kenyan national 100m title race in Nairobi.