Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed has urged Team Kenya to maintain a higher standard of performance going into the World Championship in Oregon and the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
Amina said the athletes' exceptional results at the just concluded Senior Africa Athletics Championships in Mauritius have once again cemented the country`s reputation as a powerhouse.
"We are now getting used to being number one and being unbeatable. Going forward, we expect you to maintain the same high standard of performance at the Commonwealth Games, World Championships, and World Under20 Championships," Amina said.
She added: "If you (media) interview them (the athletes), they will tell you that they beat South Africa and came back with more gold medals than anyone else."
Team Kenya led the medal standings during the five-day competition, harvesting a total of 23 medals (10 gold, five silver, and eight bronze).
Amina, who also brought greetings from President Uhuru Kenyatta, praised the athletes for making the country proud and promised the government`s support as they continue preparing for upcoming international assignments.
She also promised that the government will discuss with relevant stakeholders restructuring the prize money structure.
"We will be having discussions with their leaders (Athletics Kenya), the President and the Vice President going forward and make sure that they feel the support of their country," Amina said.
She was speaking at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Monday when she led other government officials, AK officials, members of the media, family and friends to receive the athletes on arrival from Reduit.
Speaking at the same time, newly crowned African 100m champion Ferdinand Omanyala said he wants to be the first African to win a sprints medal in a World Championship.
He was also part of the 4x100m relay team that struck gold at the same championships — the others including Mike Mokamba, Dan Kiviasi and Samuel Imeta.
“My next target is to get the medal in the world championships because there is no African who has ever medalled in the world championships,” Omanyala said.
He expressed hope that the sprinters` good performance on the continent will be the start of greater fortunes for the race category in Kenya.
"We have so many sprinters in Kenya and I am glad that we now have a team full of energy and optimism which assured me that we were going to win," the African 100m record holder said.
The team were taken on a roadshow around the city, culminating in a luncheon at Rio Hotel in Nairobi West.
