U20 Mascot
18 AUGUST, NAIROBI, KENYA – World record holder David Rudisha believes Kenya has what it takes to retain its overall title at the World Athletics Under-20 Championships, which begin on Wednesday at the Moi Sports Centre Kasarani.
Rudisha, who began his athletics career 15 years ago at the Junior event and won gold at the 2006 showpiece in Beijing, China, feels that the event will serve as a springboard for future Kenyan stars.
Kenya won the overall title at the last showcase in Tampere, Finland in 2018, and with the event returning home, Kenya would be expected to repeat as champion.
“Staying at the top is always difficult, but we know the team has been practicing hard and we expect strong results from them. “Having observed them at the trials, I know they are capable of producing medals, and we will be here to watch and support them on,” the 800m king stated.
Though he has not had the opportunity to meet them in person for motivational speeches ahead of the Championships, Rudisha claims he has kept in touch with the majority of them via social media to ensure they are in good spirits.
“Of course, meeting up with them has been tough because the COVID-19 pandemic has been a burden for them. But we've been communicating with them via social media in order to attempt to reach out to them and encourage them to go for history and build a solid foundation for the future,” Rudisha explained.
The two-lap king is one of the event's ambassadors, and he says it's an honor to be chosen for the position. He hopes his presence at Kasarani will motivate Team Kenya to win medals.
“As we all know, athletics is one of the most popular sports in the United States, and becoming an ambassador for such an event here at home is a wonderful pleasure for me. I competed in this race in 2006 and went on to advance and achieve success in athletics, so it would make me delighted to be here and witness others do the same,” Rudisha said.
Meanwhile, he has urged the athletes not to be discouraged if they do not win gold at the competition, emphasizing that the most important thing for them is to get international experience.
“Learning and gaining experience are the main goals of competing here. Winning is crucial, but there is a lot to learn even if they do not win. Many successful athletes have never won a medal in a youth or junior competition. Rudisha stated, "It's all about getting things started."
Mercy Namachanja for World Athletics.