Zablon Ekwam is keen to leave his mark in the 400m event at the Paris Olympics after securing his qualification time at the Kip Keino Classic last week.
Ekwam powered to fourth place in 44.69 seconds, closely trailing Botswana’s Leungo Scotch at 44.54. Bryce Deadmon of the USA took second (44.41), while Botswana’s Bayapo Ndori clinched the title (44.10).
With the 2024 Olympic mark set at 45.00 for men and 50.95 for women, Ekwam’s performance puts him in prime position for the global showdown.
“The Olympics is the climax of any sporting event and every athlete's dream is to make it to the global showpiece. I look forward to making my mark in Paris,” Ekwam remarked.
Ekwam highlighted the privilege of representing the country in an event where few Kenyan athletes qualify. “Representing the country in an event where there are not as many athletes qualifying is a nice feeling,” he stated.
Kenya has only secured two medals at the Olympics in the 400m, first at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, where Julius Sang clocked 44.92 to secure bronze and in 1992 in Barcelona, where the late Samson Kitur also won bronze in 44.24.
The last athlete to represent the country at the Olympics in the 400m was Emmanuel Korir at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where he was disqualified for a false start.
Despite missing out on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Ekwam remains determined to post impressive results this time around.
“I have been fighting for this spot for four years. I missed out on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics because I did not make the cut,” he stated.
He pointed out that consistent training was the key to making the Olympic team. “I went back to training consistently for three years to make the 2024 Olympics.”
Ekwam’s dedication paid off, as he recently contributed to shattering two African records with the 4x400m men’s relay team at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland in March.
He was in the company of Wiseman Were, Boniface Mweresa and Kelvin Tauta.
Looking ahead, Ekwam is also set to represent Kenya at the World Relay Championships in Nassau, Bahamas as he seeks to showcase his prowess in the 4x400m mixed relay.
He will be joined by Were, Kennedy Kimeu, Mercy Chebet, Mary Moraa and Maureen Thomas as they hunt for a top-14 finish that will secure Olympic qualification for the relay team.
