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Samuel Gathimba and Emily Ngii are upbeat they lead Team Kenya for the World Athletics Race  Walking  Team Championships earmarked for March 4-5 in Muscat, Oman.

The two who are also African Games and Africa champions are part of a strong five member team that is due to travel to the Middle East country and positive they will register good performances.

The team, which has four men and one woman, will be managed by veteran race walk coach George Kariuki, and will leave for the championships on March 2.

The 2017 World Under-18 10km race walk bronze medallist Dominic Ndigiti and Simon Wachira will take part in the men’s 20km race walk.

“We all know how huge the opportunity that has been presented to us both as the experienced and young walkers, and we have to seize it and make something good out of it,” said Gathimba.

World Under-20 Championships 10m race walk champion Heristone Wanyonyi will compete in men’s Under-20 10km.

Wanyonyi rose to fame after winning gold in the men’s 10,000m race walk at the World Athletics Under-20 Championships in Nairobi last year.

He was voted the Most Promising Boy at the 2021 Sports Personality of the Year Awards (Soya) gala last month.

Perfect opportunity

Ngii, who is also the national and Kenya Defence Forces champion, will square it out in women’s 20km. “There  were concerns that without an Omani embassy in Kenya, it was not going to be easy to acquire visas. As athletes we want to thank Athletics Kenya for making it possible,” said Ngii.

Ngii says the athletes will use the opportunity to secure qualifications for Commonwealth Games as well as the World Athletics Championships.

Team leader Kariuki says mingling with other great race walkers will be enough motivation for them to push forward in their careers. 

“This is the first competition for Kenya to enter a team. We want to stamp our presence and use it as the perfect launchpad for the qualifiers for the World Championships in August. It is an opportunity for us to enter the esteemed leagues of the sport,” Kariuki said.

Although they have been training separately, Kariuki is optimistic all the athletes are prepared for whatever awaits them in Muscat.

“We are going to assemble on Monday for our trip. However, I dispatched training programmes to each of them, which they have been following religiously. In future, I hope we have the opportunity for a residential camp to sharpen ourselves,” he said.