Junior athletes step up preparations for 2024 WU20 championships

Hundreds of athletes have stepped up preparations for the 2024 World Under-20 Championships in Lima, Peru next year.

Athletics Kenya Youth and Development Committee, under Barnaba Korir, have identified more than 40 camps to train athletes ahead of the championships on August 26-31.

The camps opened on Monday and are sponsored by the Ministry of Sports under the Talanta Hela Initiative by Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba. The athletes will also train at the camps in April before the national trials on July 19 and 20 at either Gusii Stadium in Kisii or Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi.

At one of the new camps, Riooga Secondary School in Nyamira County, 107 athletes turned up for training against the ceiling of 40, camp coordinator Haron Onchong’a revealed.

The camp has 48 boys and 59 girls.

“We expected 40 athletes but by Thursday, 102 had turned up while five more have turned up today — three girls and two boys. We expect more. It’s difficult to turn them away,” said Onchong’a, who previously handled Mogonga PAG which produced several international athletes among them world 800m champion Mary Moraa.

He added: “We have some athletes who are under age but they represented primary schools at regional and national levels. We cannot chase them because they are the future of this camp and the country.”

The camp has five coaches among them former middle and long-distance runner Thomas Osano, Andrew Mayaka, Moses Saiti, Declerk Omari, and Anthony Mogere.

“We are required to have two coaches but with more than 100 athletes, two are not enough. We also have a nurse, a chaperone and a physiotherapist. The school games master is also part of the team and I appeal to Athletics Kenya to cater for them,” Onchong'a told the Star.

Onchong’a expressed concerns over the lack of field implements and appealed to AK to donate some to the newly established camp.

“We have borrowed some implements but they are not enough. We don’t have javelins for juniors," he said.

Onchong’a, the school principal, remains confident about sending some of his athletes to Peru.

“I have seen talented young athletes at the camp. Some represented Kenya at the East Africa Secondary Schools Championships in Rwanda last year while some have been to national secondary and primary school championships,” he noted.

Those who reached the East Africa Championships in Huye, Rwanda are Alex Orumoi (48:01 in 400m) and James Gechuki (1:49.00 in 800m).

Nelson Onduto reached the national secondary cross country championships alongside Anastancia Nyaboke (5, 000m) and sprinter Alice Oirere.