NAIROBI, Kenya, June 18 – After an enthralling national trials for the Paris Olympics, Athletics Kenya (AK) are set to hold trials for the World Under 20 Championships at Nyayo Stadium on June 26-28.
In a statement, the federation said the top two finishers in each category will be automatically selected in the final team provided they also meet World Athletics’ entry qualifications for their respective disciplines.
“The two-day competition will be strictly open to athletes aged under 20 years and as such, AK will apply stringent measures to ensure all competitors meet this requirement. Most importantly, those to be selected must meet the entry qualification standards for their respective disciplines as outlined by World Athletics,” the federation said.
To curb age cheating, all participants are required to submit their identification documents, including passports, birth certificates, school identification, release letter from respective schools, parental consent as well as national IDs (if applicable).
This year’s World Under 20 Championships are slated for August 20-25 in Lima, Peru — the second time this competition will be hosted in Latin America following the 2022 edition in Cali, Colombia.
AK are hoping to select a strong team that will go one better than the ‘Cali Cartel’, which harvested 10 medals for the country — three gold, three silver and four bronze.
“The federation is intent on selecting a strong team that will go a level higher than the last edition of these championships in Cali, Colombia where Kenya accumulated 10 medals,” AK said.
The federation added: “To this end, we have been working closely with the Ministry of Sports – through the Sports Arts and Social Development Fund (SASDF) – in establishing and managing training camps across the country where young talents have been identified, incubated and nurtured.”
The championships have long been a springboard for young Kenyan athletes to launch their international careers.
Examples of elite athletes who cut their teeth at the World Under 20 Championships include world record holder for the women’s 10,000m Beatrice Chebet, World Under 20 1500m champion Reynold Cheruiyot and the mile world record holder Emmanuel Wanyonyi, among others.
