Athletics Kenya are keen to invest in sprints and field events in a bid to increase the medal prospects on the global stage in the future.
In order to reach their goals, the federation has started introducing junior athletes to sprints and field events.
Speaking in Eldoret during the World Athletics Kids Athletics, Youth Development chairman, Barnabas Korir, said the country has huge potential considering over 500 kids competed in various disciplines.
“We have a transformation agenda for Kenyans and most young people are ready to embrace field and sprints. in the past, we were only concentrating on middle and long-distance running because we had more advantages than any other country."
He said Africa U-20 javelin champion Irene Jepkemboi and Christine Musembi are an example of fast-rising youths in field events.
“The two girls won medals in Lusaka and Dar-es-salaam and that gives us a reason why we should focus on sprints and field events in a bid to increase our chances of winning medals on the global stage," he noted.
He said athletics today is about diversification because everything has gone digital. " We stand a better chance of winning more medals if we are represented in sprints, field, middle and long-distance running," he noted.
Kids Master trainer and Level Three sprints coach Andrew Maritim said they are dealing with three levels of training.
“The kids' athletics programme has been divided into three categories starting from Level One that consists of age group 4-7 years, Level Two 8-11 and third 12-14 years, which is a World athletics designed programme,” said Maritim.
He said at the lower level, they have fundamentals like enjoyment and excitement but levels two and three, are more specific.
“Our target is to reach out to all schools in the country and these activities need to be incorporated in the curriculum like the Competence Based Curriculum (CBC) which is all about talent identification.
"If kids athletics is adapted in the schools, we shall have good athletes,” he said.
