Cali-bound world Under-20 5,000 athlete Samuel Kibathi has revealed how residing in Japan has impacted positively on his athletics career.
Kibathi, a Form Two student at Kurashiki High School in Japan, said he is more comfortable training in Japan because he has everything he needs in terms of facilities.
" In Japan, there is adequate equipment because everything is available. I train extensively because I use the latest equipment. The environment there is also conducive. Here, the challenges are many including lack of facilities," Kibathi said.
After missing out on last year's World Under-20 championships held in Nairobi, Kibathi ensured he learned from his lessons and made a strong comeback.
During the national trials held at Nyayo Stadium last month, Kibathi obliterated the field to secure the first position in 13:47.86.
This earned him a direct ticket to Cali for the WU-20 Championships which started today.
Kibathi revealed that he is currently enjoying top form and that nothing is going to stand in his way.
"I am feeling good and I'm ready to compete. As an athlete, especially in the long distance, you have to be smart and hang out with experienced runners. However, you can only make your plans during the race because you never know what will happen," he narrated.
Kibathi cited world 10,000m champion Joshua Cheptegei and bronze medallist Jacob Kiplimo from Uganda as his role models.
"Cheptegei and Kiplimo are very experienced runners. During the Tokyo Olympics and the recent World Championships, they had good coordination. If I and my counterpart decide to implement their tactics, I am sure we will win gold and silver," he said.
Kibathi will have the company of Nelson Mandela in the 5,000m. They are expected to compete in the 5,000m final on Tuesday at 3:55 am for the finals.
Meanwhile, the national junior team head coach Robert Ngisirei is optimistic about making a repeat of last year's performance in Nairobi.
"With the kind of training the juniors have had, I expect them to win medals in all categories. I am aware that defending their title puts them under a lot of pressure but I am confident they are up to the task," Ngisirei said.
