Barnaba Korir tips Kenyan youngsters to flourish at Africa Junior Championships

© Erick Barasa

ATHLETICS Barnaba Korir tips Kenyan youngsters to flourish at Africa Junior Championships

Abigael Wafula 11:00 - 24.04.2023

The event is scheduled for April 29 to 3 in Ndola, Zambia.

Athletics Kenya Nairobi Region chair Barnaba Korir believes the junior team selected to participate at the Africa U18/20 Championships will display remarkable results.

Korir revealed that they have selected a strong contingent that has the experience. He added that some of the athletes selected competed at last year’s World Under-20 Championships in Cali, Colombia and others competed at this year’s East Africa U18/20 Championships in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Others including Damaris Mutunga and Elkanah Chemelil are also expected to perform well since they are from a training camp in Miramas, France.

“We expect them to perform well because they are a very strong team. I believe they will do much better than the team that was sent to Ivory Coast three years ago. This will also be an opportunity for the sprinters to hone their skills

We have athletes who have the experience from the regional competitions and the global events who will lead the other ones in the continental show,” Korir said.

During the 2019 edition in Ivory Coast, the youngsters won the Under-18 title and settled for second place overall in the Under-20 category behind South Africa.

Korir said the athletes are comfortable and are in good shape. He added that the federation has worked hard to ensure they get enough training and comfortable equipment to ensure they are well equipped for the competition.

“We managed to get the facilitates for these athletes…the training shoes and other gear to make sure they train effectively. Their training has been okay and we hope for the best,” he said.

Korir noted that the venue change in the event was a challenge they encountered but they have since addressed the challenge and the youngsters are ready to go.

The event was initially scheduled for Lusaka, Zambia but the venue was changed to Ndola in Zambia. The event is scheduled for April 29 to May 3.

“The change of the venue made the travelling a bit tricky but now everything is under control,” he said.