NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 25 – Mark Otieno qualified for his first ever Olympic Games running on borrowed spikes at the Moi Sports Centre Kasarani, but as he settles down in Tokyo ahead of the Athletics calendar which guns off on Friday, Otieno is out to make an impact.
The 27-year old had tried over and over to qualify for Tokyo throughout the year, travelling across various athletics meet in hunt of the 10.05secs magic number without success.
But he finally did it, clocking the exact time at the Kenyan trials in Nairobi, on high altitude.
“I am a human being and it reached a point where I thought it would be impossible to get the time. I had just come from a race in Switzerland before the Kenyan trials and I was looking forward to do well. I thought this would have been my last chance and I am really excited the qualification came through at the right time,” Otieno, a hugely religious man told Capital Sport.
“I had borrowed some spikes from one of my friends called Tarsis. It has been very difficult financially and getting a pair of shoes to run with was something big for me. I am forever indebted to him for coming through for me,” Otieno said.
Otieno was second behind Ferdinand Omanyala who clocked 10.02secs to also earn qualification to Tokyo and now as he heads to the Japanese capital, he is more than determined to ensure he does not just participate but also convincingly put in a good performance.
This will be his second Major Championship, having been at the 2017 World Championship in London. The three years that followed were tough on him as he battled with injury and getting back on form.
IN London, he went through the first preliminary round after clocking 10.40secs. He lowered his time in the heats, running 10.37secs, but couldn’t go to the next phase after finishing sixth in his heat.
“The Olympics is like the biggest thing and for me this is a dream come true. I have prayed for this, I have worked for it and I am super excited to finally achieve it. Qualifying infront of everyone at home was even bigger,” he said.
Heading to Tokyo, his ambitions are clear; to show that Kenya can also produce sprint sensations.
“I know the competition there will be very tough because everyone is in top shape. My ambition is to take a race at a time and give my all. I want to do my best and show that in Kenya, we can sprint as well,” added Otieno, who adds that getting out of the heats will be his primary target.
He attributes his rise in form to more races having competed in more than 10 meets before the Olympic Games.
“I have that race sharpness and I think that is what is different from previous years. I have run outside the country in search of the qualification time and this has worked to my advantage because it has also built my confidence,” added the sprinter.
Otieno says he is more delighted with his success in qualifying for Tokyo, especially noting that he had to go to extreme levels to get money to finance his bid to book a ticket.
“Financially it hasn’t been easy because yes, you get invited to races but sometimes, getting even that air ticket to travel without a sponsor is hard. My family has really been there for me because they have supported me financially in all the races I have gone and now I am looking forward to rewarding them with a good performance in Tokyo,” he stated.
He was handed a massive financial boost just before the Olympic Games with Telecommunication Company Safaricom handing him a Sh1mn sponsorship package that will not only propel him into the Olympic Games, but in events that follow.
Otieno’s Olympic campaign begins next Saturday. He has been in Japan for two and a half weeks now, with the pre-Olympic training camp in Kurume setting him in gear, while the next one week in the Japanese capital will immerse his mind, body and soul into the Olympic spirit.