Kenya's taekwondo prodigy Faith Ogallo has pledged to punch a ticket to the Paris 2024 Olympics with sights firmly trained on a podium finish.
Ogallo made the remarks before departing to Southern France for a three-week pre-Olympics training camp in the city of Miramas. She travelled alongside compatriot Jully Musangi.
"I'm confident of securing a ticket to Paris and, once there, my goal is to grab a medal," Ogallo said.
"Besides the training camp, we will take part in ranking tournaments across Europe to ensure we get closer to qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympics," he said.
The 28-year-old, who plies trade for Kenya Police on the local scene, said she has been buoyed by a splendid campaign this season. "I've had a good season thus far in the local league and I hope to extend the good run further abroad," Ogallo quipped.
Whereas Ogallo ranks 50th in the world, Musangi places 53rd globally. Ogallo comprised the star-studded Kenyan contingent for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
She stormed the silver podium at the 2019 Africa Games in Rabat, Morocco. She later qualified for the Olympics at the 2020 African Taekwondo Olympic Qualification tournament in Dakar, Senegal, and in the process sharpened her talons well enough to secure a slot in the Tokyo 2020 games.
It was the first time a Kenyan was flying the country's flag in a taekwondo event at the Olympics in 13 years.
Ogallo, who was the only Kenyan Taekwondoin in Tokyo, crashed out at the preliminary stage of the competition after losing to Serbian Milica Mandic 13-0 in the +67kg category.
She secured an automatic berth at the games after bagging bronze during the Africa Taekwondo Championships as well as silver at the 12th edition of the Africa Gamed.
Initially a basketball enthusiast, Ogallo's interest in taekwondo began during her years at Kibabii. Eliakim Otieno, a sports scientist, and taekwondo coach took notice of her sporting prowess and urged her to embrace taekwondo.
"Coach Otieno convinced me to switch my attention and dedicate myself fully to taekwondo, telling me I possessed the qualities to succeed in the sport."
In 2018, she plunged herself into the sport guided by Otieno and she has never looked back ever since.
Determined to help her carve a niche in the Hall of Fame, Otieno went out of his way and registered Ogallo at the Rwanda Korean Ambassadors Championship, where she surpassed expectations and bagged a gold medal.
The feat set her career on course and she soon found herself adding honours and titles to her trophy cabinet.
