98 Days to World Athletics U20 Championships 2021

World Under-20 Athletics championship Local Organising Committee Chief Executive Officer Mike Rabar (middle) with Sports Cabinet Secretary Amb. Amina Mohammed and Sports Principal Secretary Joe Okudo at the World Athletics Secretariat based at Moi International Sports,Centre, Kasarani.

As the countdown continues to the World Athletics Under 20 Championship, Mike Rabar, the Chief Executive Officer of the World Under-20 Championship stated that all has been put in place to ensure the success of the championships, which are scheduled for August 17th to 22nd, 2021.

Mike Rabar called the pandemic a “blessing in disguise” since it gave the Local Organising Committee an additional eight months to plan for the big event, which falls between the Tokyo Olympic Games and the WRC Safari Rally, which is returning to Kenya.

The CEO explained that, as with the Magical Kenya Open and Savannah Classic tournaments, bubbles will be used to help minimize contact between athletes, media, and officials.

“We are going to use a lot of bubbles to control movements of media, athletes, officials,” said Rabar.

The athletes’ village will be located at Kenyatta University. The university, which already serves over 15,000 students per day, will be used by all athletes during the championships.

Kenya has also been in constant contact with World Athletics, gauging readiness and determining the best ways to deliver a flawless event. Audiences will also be able to watch the event live on TV and digital platforms.

Ruth Chepng’etich, 26, is a marathon and long distance track competitor. Ruth’s time ranks fourth all-time, trailing world record holder Brigid Kosgei, Paula Radcliffe, and Mary Jepkosgei Keitany (women only world record holder). She is the World Marathon Champion for 2019. At the 2018 Istanbul Marathon, she won the road race in the women’s race. Ruth ran 2:18:35 at the IAAF Gold Label Road Race, a race record and the best time ever on Turkish soil.

Stanley Waithaka, 21, is a long distance runner with many great achievements. His first international success was at the 2017 IAAF World U18 Championships, where he took a bronze medal in the 3000 m. Stanley made his debut on the 2018 IAAF Diamond League circuit, taking third in the 5000 m. At the 2018 IAAF World U20 Championships he took the silver medal in the 5,000m finals.