NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 4 – African 100m record holder Ferdinand Omanyala is among seven athletes who have been handed scholarships by the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) towards preparation for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
The seven athletes were awarded in Eldoret, where they were also taken through several training workshops as they gear up towards the 2024 Games in the French capital.
Others who were awarded with the scholarship include 1500m specialists Charles Simotwo and Abel Kipsang, Commonwealth Games 5,000m champion Beatrice Chebet as well as Worrld Championships 10,000m bronze medalist Margaret Chelimo.
Nicholas Kimeli and Jacob Krop have also been awarded with the scholarship. They will each receive Sh100,000 monthly up to July 2024, when the Olympic Games start, to help them prepare for title and medal assaults.
“I want to thank NOCK for being considered. It is a perfect gift as we head towards the Olympics. My aim is to win the Olympics title in 2024 and this comes in handy. It will go a long way in helping me perform better ahead of the Olympic Games,” Omanyala said as he received the scholarship.
The Commonwealth Games champion has already stated that he will be basing his camp in preparation for next season in Italy as he looks to improve further.
Chebet who has been a breakout star this season having won silver at the Worlds and the Commonwealth title is looking towards continuing in her good form and winning the Olympic title is her next big target.
Before then, she has the World Championships in Budapest next year to think about.
Speaking during the handover ceremony, NOCK Secretary General Francis Mutuku said the process of selecting the athletes was competitive and is confident the money given to them will be a perfect boost for their preparation.
“It’s only in athletics that we have the top eight in the world and the other sports have more work to do so that they can qualify for the scholarships. It is a competitive procedure and I’m glad Athletics Kenya managed to give us the seven names we are awarding today,” Mutuku said, as quoted by Daily Nation.
