Team Kenya Relays head coach Stanley Towett has reiterated his confidence in the country’s sprinters to make a strong statement at the World Athletics Relays set for this weekend in Guangzhou, China.
The Kenyan squad is scheduled to depart Wednesday evening aboard Flight QR 1336 via Doha, arriving in China Thursday afternoon.
The team will feature in the men’s 4x100m, men’s and women’s 4x400m and the 4x400m mixed relay.
The contingent wrapped up their intensive residential camp at Ulinzi Sports Complex on Tuesday where they had checked in just days after the national trials held on April 11–12.
Their training block included strength and endurance runs through Karura Forest on select mornings to build aerobic base and recovery.
Coach Towett exuded confidence in the team's preparedness, citing notable gains made in baton exchange, reaction times and sprint sharpness over the past three weeks.
“Training has been smooth from the word go and I have witnessed a lot of improvement in the athletes,” Towet said.
He observed remarkable improvements in his athletes.
“For example, when we started the camp, the athletes were clocking over 12 seconds in the 120m sprints but this has dropped to 11.5. This gives us hope of performing well in the 4x100m.”
Towett noted that while the bulk of technical and tactical work has been completed, the team will hold light sessions in China to fine-tune baton chemistry and shake off any jet lag.
“We have done most of what we expected to even though we will tune up once in China to shake off the jet lag and acclimatise,” he said.
Towet hopes to have longer residential training in the future.
“Relays require at least a month in training to harmonise all the aspects, especially baton flow in the 4x100m,” the coach said.
The credentials of some of the athletes are encouraging, he observed.
“We have three 4x400m men who have clocked 44 seconds over 400m and three women who have ran 51 seconds,” he said.
The World Relays will not only serve as a global showdown but also offer automatic qualification for the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo.
The top 14 nations from China will secure there slots for the Tokyo showdown whereas two more slots will be awarded to the next based nations based on global rankings.
“We have very high hopes about them qualifying for the World Championships in the 4x400m and the 4x400m mixed relays.”
