National World Under-20 head coach Robert Ngisirei says they will leave no stone unturned to ensure the juniors attain peak fitness ahead of the World Under 20 Championships on August 17-22 on home soil.
Ngisirei said laxity is not an option for them as other countries will be angling for Kenya's crown, attained during the last edition in 2018 in Tampere, Finland.
"Everything is working out as planned. We are battling well in training for all the categories in which we will be competing, including the field events. Every race is hard including those in which we have traditionally dominated and so we cannot rest easy in our training," Ngisirei said.
One of the aspects the technical bench is paying keen attention to is speed work for the respective athletes.
"Our rivals, especially Uganda and Ethiopia, are no pushovers. So we want these lads to improve on their respective times such that they will be at peak fitness by August when the championship begins," Ngisirei said.
The team is currently in a bubble residential training camp at Moi Stadium, Kasarani during which they have to undergo regular tests and avoid contact with the outside world as much as possible.
The coach praised the youngsters for their bravery and discipline amid a challenging period occasioned by the coronavirus pandemic, which has turned many lives upside down.
"It did not only start now but during the trials when we underwent Covid tests on four consecutive days. The lads are not shocked by the regularity of these tests rather have become accustomed to them. Most of them say they are not feeling any discomfort," he said.
With the showpiece set to be held behind closed doors, the juniors are set to miss out on the capacity crowd witnessed by their predecessors during the World Under-18 Championships at the same venue.
Nonetheless, Ngisirei is confident Team Kenya are prepared for this new development and will deliver a great performance regardless of no fans in the stadium.
"This will not be an issue for us because an athlete knows they have to bring their best game whether there will be fans or not. Furthermore, they know that Kenyans will be glued on their televisions throughout the championships and so they will not want to let them down," Ngisirei said.
So far, close to 128 countries have confirmed participation in the event, which will be exactly a week after the Tokyo Olympics.
