Team Kenya's Eric Sikuku hopes to continue with athletics dominance at the 25th World Masters Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Team Kenya, consisting of 26 athletes and eight officials landed in Sweden on Sunday ahead of the championships which will kick off on Tuesday.
The event will run from August 13 -25 and will feature athletes aged 35 years and above from 111 countries.
Sikuku, who won two gold medals (5, 000m and 10,000m race-walk) in the 2018 edition held in Malaga, Spain says all the athletes are excited and confident of excelling in the championships.
“The team is fine, all the athletes are focused and they are aware of the task ahead.
"The good thing is that all these athletes have experience and we hope to give a good account of ourselves.
"We understand that the competition will be stiff but we are also up to the task based on the preparations we have undergone back home,” Sikuku said after landing in Gothenburg.
Sikuku, 49, who represented Kenya in the 20km walk race during the 2010 African Athletics Championships in Nairobi, also won two gold medals in the 3000m walk race and 10km walk race in Poland during the World Masters Indoor Championships.
Head coach Elizabeth Olaba said the World Masters Championships are intriguing and the challenge ahead would be similar to that of elite runners. The legendary coach said her team is in top shape ahead of the big show in southern Sweden.
“The team has trained well, everybody is in good shape and I expect a great competition.
"This is a big championship and we have to give it the seriousness that it deserves.
"Although the competition involves non-elite athletes, it is still something to look forward to since it is the legends of the sport taking part.”
Kenya is making a return to the global scene after missing the previous edition in Tampere, Finland.
Athletics Kenya (AK) Masters Secretary General Rose Tata Muiya expressed gratitude to the government for funding.
“We are happy to be back in this year’s World Masters Championships, ready to reclaim our title after missing the 2022 edition. We are grateful to the Ministry of Sports for enabling us to field such a big team,’’ Tata said.
