United States-based Moitalel Mpoke says he is ready to announce his arrival in global athletics as he begins his medal rush to familiar territory, the Hayward Field in Eugene Oregon for the World Athletics Championships.

With the most prestigious track and field meet outside of the Olympics happening in the United States for the first time, Mpoke who has been studying in Texas since 2018 is excited and ready to go.

“It is such a good feeling to represent your country, I have done it as a junior and won silver, now I want t see what the seniors will be like,” said Mpoke who will be in action on Saturday night at 11:20 pm (9.20 am Sunday morning Kenyan time) in the men’s 400m hurdles heats.

The sprinter was among the second batch of team Kenya athletes that left the country in the early hours of Wednesday morning via Qatar Airways and arrived in Oregon late early on Thursday morning via stops in Dubai and Seattle in USA.

“I really want to have a good go during the championship. I come here and competed as a student, so for me, there is extra motivation since I will be representing my country and not school,” said the 21-year-old’s target now is to run sub 48 or 47 seconds, knowing that will move him the national record range. He wants to emulate Boniface Mucheru who holds the national record of 47.78 secs set during the final of the 400m hurdles at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games where he settled for silver.

The Texas-based runner is also getting motivation from the late Nicholas Bett whose historic victory in the same event at the 2015 World Championships he ranks highly.

“Those are moments that motivate me even as I focus myself on the mission ahead. The athletes have proved it can be done, I want to reach that height and hopefully go further. know it’s a tall order but quite achievable if I keep on prodding and being consistent,” shared Mpoke who is soon to graduate with a degree in Sports Science from Texas A&M University.