Athletics Kenya Chief Administrative Officer Susan Kamau wants upcoming athletes to take advantage of the current school holiday camps to exploit their talents with an eye on the international front.
Speaking while the AK Youth Committee paid a courtesy call on the Nairobi camp on Thursday, Kamau said the youngsters have a platform their senior peers never had in their formative years.
"With the support of the national government, you have an opportunity to train during holidays and I believe this is a perfect platform for you to train for upcoming events and even the future," said Kamau.
"A lot of this support is meant to ensure that we have the best in upcoming Team Kenya contingents especially as we head for the World Under 20 Championships in Cali, Colombia in July. Make sure that all these efforts are not in vain."
She also cautioned them against seeking advice from unauthorised individuals and instead visit Riadha House for proper directions and documentation.
The Nairobi camp, based at Riruta Central School is home to 26 athletes, (11 girls and 15 boys), who reported at the facility on April 5. They are under coordinator Jackson Were, school director Robert Ondiek, coaches Joseph Kahugu and Caroline Awuor, and chaperone Justina Jepchirchir.
Among those at Riruta are 400m and 800m runner Isaac Mburu of Murera High School, who wants to better the achievements of his role model David Rudisha, the 800m world record holder.
"I was at the World Under-20 trials last time and I think I learned a lot in my quest to be a top runner in the near future. I want to better what Rudisha did in the next three or four years," said Mburu.
At Chania Boys' High School, Thika, AK Youth Committee secretary Joseph Ilovi reminded the 39 upcoming runners to present the essence of meeting the qualification standards before they can dream of representing the country at the various championships this year.
"There are a lot of events lined up for this year but there is also a qualification standard for each. They must be met before one can dream of making Team Kenya," said Ilovi.
Among those at Thika are 2020 World U20 trialists Grace Waithira (javelin), Joy Wanjiku (1500m) and Rahab Wanjiru (400m, 400m/h).
