An 82-year-old John Chepkwony will be among the participants competing at the inaugural Athletics Kenya (AK) Masters cross country meeting today at Eldoret Polytechnic.
Chepkwony, who has been competing with elite runners in North Rift region, will be up against John Njahi, the captain for World Masters Championships in Perth as well as Truphosa Chemutai who won silver and Benson Cheruiyot, the world half-marathon bronze medallist in the same meeting.
Speaking in Eldoret during the event’s launch, Chepkwony said his focus is not just to compete at the national cross country championships but also to book a ticket to the World athletics Masters next year in Toronto, Canada.
“My dream is to compete in the 8km during the World Masters Championships. I have been training well and I want to lift the national title as I focus on world events. I train 6km a day—3km in the morning and similar distance in the evening just to ensure I keep fit,” he said.
Chepkwony will compete in the 81-100 years category. During the launch, AK Masters secretary, Rose Tata Muya, said the championships has given life to those athletes who lost hope after retiring from active sports.
“This is another avenue for retired athletes to get back into competition. Some have been languishing but the introduction of masters by AK has brought them back to life,” he added.
