Kenya’s team to the World Under-20 Championship has taken their preparations a notch higher ahead of their departure on Thursday next week for Cali, Colombia where the biennial competition will be staged.

Coach Perpetual Mbutu has spoken highly of the five sprinters in camp saying they will get the country several medals.

Elikanah Kiprotich (400m), Damaris Nduleve, Sylvia Chelang’at (400m) and 400m hurdlers Peter Kithome and Allocious Kipng’etich are the individuals the coach is counting on to deliver.

“Four of them were in the under 20 teams last year in Nairobi and they did well, now they have grown and are able to make even better decisions,” said the coach.

“Kenyans should expect medals for sure,” she added.

The national t team has been in residential training at Moi Stadium, Kasarani for the past two weeks and Mbutu says the sessions have been quite intense.

Mbutu, who led a group of 11 runners to a month-long training camp in Miramas, France in May, has been putting the sprinters through their paces.

“Yesterday they had intense training for speed endurance. So today (Thursday) was a combination of active rest with the mechanism of running. Basically, it was about keeping your muscles active while preparing for tomorrow’s (Friday) session, which will be once again intense,” Mbutu said.

“Tomorrow, the athletes will be pushing to maximum ferocity…to increase the recovery time and also to do longer distances,” she added.