Lemotit Athletics Camp coach Paul Kemei is confident his athletes will excel at the Nairobi Cross Country Championship on Sunday at the Nairobi West Prison grounds.
Kemei said they have been training hard for the last one month after a tough Covid-19 period.
"We want to perform well and get as many of our athletes into the national cross country championships. After that, we hope they will be part of the team that makes it to Togo for the African cross country event," Kemei said.
Out of the 10 athletes who will do duty for the camp at the Nairobi meet, Kemei cited Sandrafelis Chebet and Triza Cheprotich as two key athletes to keep an eye on.
"Sandra will be competing in the 10km senior women's race while Triza will be running in the junior women's 8km race. They are very disciplined, talented and determined athletes who will go far in a matter of time," he said.
He thanked Athletics Kenya for their gallant efforts to keep the camp afloat during the coronavirus pandemic when the athletes could not train together.
"In particular, I want to thank Barnabas Korir ( AK youth development chairman) for providing us with food supplies to enable us continue training. Things are looking up now that the infections have reduced and the restrictions have somewhat relaxed," Kemei said.
On her part, Chebet did not mince her words when outlining her target for the Sunday event.
"On Sunday, I want to fight until the end. I have worked hard in training even though being away from other athletes was a bit stressful. All in all, I know I am capable of making it to Lome if only I can reach the nationals," the former World Under-18 2000m steeplechase silver medalist said.
Similar sentiments were expressed by Cheprotich who said she was targeting nothing short of victory despite the big names competing in her category.
"I am also preparing for the World Under-20 Championships and the Tokyo Olympics later on. I am optimistic I can compete neck on neck with some of the big names considering my current fitness levels," she said.
Kemei , alongside his wife and former middle distance runner Emily Cherotich, founded Lemotit Athletics Camp in 2007 after retiring as a paralympic athlete.
He has also set his sights on enlisting as many of his athletes as possible on Kenya's team to the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics and the World Under-20 championships.
