Athletics Kenya (AK) national youth head coach Robert Ngisirei believes there are more talented female athletes emerging to fill the void left by their counterparts transitioning to the senior level.
"The talent that is coming through is really amazing. We have had Beatrice (Chebet) and Fancy (Cherono) in this age category and they have all transitioned to the senior level. With the talent on display, we believe we will unearth more athletes like Beatrice and Cherono," Ngisirei said.
Ngisirei expressed confidence that the final team selected to represent Kenya in next year's World Athletics Under-20 Championship in Nairobi will bring more medals to the country than the initial team that was disbanded after most of them became ineligible.
"This group of athletes has surpassed expectations. They are even more talented than the previous group that has moved on to the senior category. With much training, they will produce top performance at the championships," he said.
The former Kenya Prisons warden turned teacher has worked with some of the current big names in athletics including world marathon record holder Brigid Kosgei, former world cross country champions Irene Cheptai and Agnes Tirop and former Africa 5,000m champion Margaret Chelimo among others.
Ngisirei has further identified the 400m category as one race that the country may start to reap dividends. "For example, there is a boy called Alfred Mutua in the 400m race category. He is capable of earning us a medal at the upcoming championships and beyond. We are going to work closely with him to finesse his talent," he said.
Last weekend's World Athletics under-20 pre-trials were a precursor to the trials set for next year in April. Eighty athletes will be selected to join training camps across the country in December.
