World Under 18 2000m champion Leonard Bett says many athletes are falling into depression due to the high demands and expectations placed upon them by family members and society.
The Tokyo Olympian said athletes struggle to put up with people's perception they are doing well after winning a few races in their young careers.
"There is usually a lot of pressure from family and society in general when it comes to finances. A lot is expected of us by different people and this can sometimes drive athletes to depression," Bett said.
"I remember when I competed at the World Under-18 in 2017. After three or four months, I was not doing well financially yet the expectation from the family and society was that I was swimming in money."
Bett proposed more consultative meetings, comprising athletes, spouses and family members, to help raise awareness in the society on the dangers of unrealistic expectations in sportspersons.
"Most athletes are very young and it is during this time that things are usually tough especially finances. We need additional forums where we can speak our minds out and maybe get people to understand how much affected we are by the pressure they put on us," he said.
Bett, who won the 3,000m steeplechase during the Gateshead leg of the Diamond League in May, also urged Athletics Kenya to support young athletes financially during training.
"The pressure is often higher especially when preparing to represent Kenya. We get money from different sources like the government or even our sponsors like Adidas. Before we receive these funds, the federation can chip in and assist us," he said.
The 21-year old was speaking in Bomet after attending the sixth leg of AK's consultative meetings with athletics stakeholders in the county.
Approximately 200 athletes, coaches, officials and managers turned up for the forum during which various speakers called for more support from county and national governments.
Junior athlete Desma Chepkoech attributed most cases of sexual exploitation and harassment in training camps to lack of resources for young athletes.
"Most of us come from humble backgrounds and our parents are not able to facilitate our training needs. When you go to a training camp and someone offers you the same, it is very easy to fall prey to their advances. Unfortunately, when the worst happens, it is usually the female athletes that lose," Chepkoech said.
United States-based Kenyan runner Emmanuel Rotich beseeched county governments to play a greater role in sports development at the grassroots than they currently are.
"The county and national governments should disburse more resources at the grassroots. They should not wait until the athlete blossoms before they start appreciating them.
Scratch my back, I scratch yours rather than waiting for us to come up," Rotich, who finished 23rd at last year's Houston Half Marathon, said.
