Nairobi Countdown
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Edward Pingua Zakayo (born November 25, 2001) is a Kenyan male long-distance runner who competes in the 5000m. He won bronze in that event at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. He plays for S.L. Benfica in Portugal.
Zakayo, who was born in Narok, stated that his goal in running was to help his mother out of poverty and to pay for his education.
In 2017, he won the Kenyan youth trials and was chosen for the 2017 IAAF World U18 Championships, where he finished second over 3000 meters in front of a home crowd in Nairobi. On June 11, 2018, he won the Kenya World U20 trials in a new personal best time of 13:19, qualifying for the U20 World Championships in Finland.
In other news, Meshack Kipkogei, a promising javelin thrower, will compete in the Central Rift Athletics Kenya pre-trials Championships on Saturday at the Kapsabet ASK ground in the hope of earning a spot at the World Under-20 Championships.
The 18-year-old athlete from Nandi County is expected to compete against throwers from Uasin Gishu and Baringo counties in the pre-trials to earn a spot in the national trials, which will be held at the Kasarani Stadium, which will host the World Under-20 Championships from August 17th to 22nd.
Kipkogei, who was inspired by former world javelin champion Julius Yego, believes he has what it takes to represent Kenya at the junior event, where Kenya currently holds the overall title after the last event in Tampere, Finland.
“I want to win a medal for Kenya at the World Under 20 Championships because I have what it takes. I have confidence that given a chance, I can win a medal,” said Kipkogei.
