The 2022 Commonwealth Games 4x400m bronze medallist Boniface Mweresa hopes to finally crack a World Relay Championships medal when he competes at a fourth global showpiece in Guangzhou, China, on May 10-11.
Mweresa competed at the 2015, 2017 and 2024 editions, in Nassau, Bahamas, but lady luck is yet to shine on him.
Speaking after a training session at the Nyayo Stadium on Thursday morning, Mweresa feels the time is right for his efforts to pay off, especially after being named the Team Kenya captain. He will be deputised by 100m sensation, Esther Mbagari.
“I think the fourth one (World Relay Championships) has something special. We have some fast guys and without any injury concerns,” said Mweresa.
He derives inspiration from a trouble-free early-season adventure for what should be a double-pronged attack, the World Relays and the World Championships in Tokyo, Japan, in September. “Overall, the season has been good. I started with the 100m as I built up towards my speciality, the 400m,” he said.
“In the team, we have some fast guys like Ekwan (Zablon), Kipkorir (Kelvin), Tinega (Brian), Sayanek (David), competing in the 4x400m. We have guys like Omanyala (Ferdinand), Mark (Odhiambo) and Babu (Meshack), who have done their best in the short races (100m), and the ladies too.”
He feels Kenya has a great crop of young, hungry representatives, ready to emerge from the shadows of their middle and long-distance compatriots.
“It’s the strongest team we’ve had,” said Mweresa. “The majority are new, up to 80 per cent of the team, which means they will seek to write their names in the books of history.”
Mweresa, who started his international career at the 2012 World U20 Championships in Barcelona, Spain, is a proud skipper.
“It’s a privilege to represent my country for many years, and I think this is the time for me to do something special before I leave (the track),” he observed. In training, he revealed, they are tackling the technical aspects of the relays, especially baton handover, a long-time Achilles heel for Kenyan teams.
“We have trained on baton handling... this should be the fourth day,” he said. “The movement of the baton is much better, and we hope things will work out the way we want them to come race day.”
Meanwhile, despite his ambitions, they have a collective goal. “We aspire to reach the finals (in China), which will automatically qualify us for Tokyo. That’s our primary target.”
He hopes for better training days ahead, devoid of recent disruptions by inclement weather.
