A 28-year-old upcoming athlete in Kericho has vowed to light up at the third edition of the Nairobi City Marathon slated for September 8 this year.
The race will set the stage for Isaac Onderi who will represent Kericho in the 10km men’s road race.
Onderi whose track disciplines are in 5000m and 10km trains under Kericho-based coach Gabriel Kiptanui who doubles up as Athletics Kenya's (AK) first vice Chairman Kericho branch.
In an interview at Kericho Teachers Training grounds (KTTC), Onderi said he was confident in his performance as he trains alongside Victor Kimutai and two-time gold medalist Bernard Kibet.
Victor Kimutai is a Kericho-born athlete on a Japanese athletic scholarship.
“I train alongside Victor Kimutai and Bernard Kibet who are confident that I will make it to the podium. Kimutai who does most of his training in Japan runs against his set time by his coach.
"I have learnt a lot from the two seasoned athletes who get to train in Japan and they race against their targeted time. The two athletes are not only confident of my personal best time but also of having a podium finish,” Onderi said.
Onderi said he hopes to have a best time of 29 minutes in the 10km road race that will set the stage for his debut international race in Glasgow City in the United Kingdom scheduled for October this year.
“Being the only athlete who will represent Kericho at the Nairobi City Marathon, to dip at 29 minutes is the goal we have with my coach.
"This race will determine whether I will get an invitation to compete in the Glasgow Half Marathon in October,” Onderi said.
Coach Kiptanui said he was confident Onderi will post excellent results as he had shown consistency and discipline in his training.
Victor Kimutai secured a fully funded sports scholarship at the University of Josai in 2021.
He caught the eyes of top athletic coaches and managers during the 2020 Athletics Kenya trials to select candidates for the World Athletics U20 championships after winning the 5000m with a personal best of 13:42 minutes.
