Japan-based Rebecca Mwangi says she thoroughly enjoyed her victory in the women's 5000m at the Athletics Kenya track and field weekend meeting at Nyayo Stadium on Friday.
The 20-year-old surged to victory in 15:25.56, ahead of 2018 Valencia 10km champion Sandrafelis Chebet (15:25.92) and 2016 African 5000m champion Sheila Chepkirui (15:28.61).
"It was a nice race. I really enjoyed it so much. I didn't expect it to be this fun, especially when competing against the likes of Sheila (Chepkirui) who I normally see on TV. It wasn't easy though but I was convinced of my abilities as far as winning was concerned," Mwangi, who runs for Daiso Women Ekiden Club, said.
Although she is not decided on whether to fight for a Team Kenya slot to the Commonwealth Games or World Championships, Mwangi said the win has motivated her to take her career to the next level.
"I have been in Kenya since December last year, training and preparing for these competitions. I am supposed to return to Japan in March so I am not sure about the Commonwealth or World Championships. However, I will for sure return later to compete in other local competitions," the Nyandarua-born said.
However, Mwangi, who has been an athlete since class five, believes she has to polish up on her weak areas to maintain the momentum.
"I want to work on my speed because I believe there is still room for improvement. I noticed that the time I ran here was slower than the times I have been posting in Japan. Nonetheless, I can't blame the hot weather despite the fact that it has been snowing in Japan for some time," she said.
"Very soon I want to test myself in 10,000m too. I started out in 1,500m before I moved upwards to 3,000m where I realised that I have the speed to excel in 5000m. So, here I am."
At the same time, Narok's Matthew Samperu is optimistic about donning the Team Kenya singlet — for the first time in his career — at the Commonwealth Games and the World Championship after winning the men's 10,000m.
Samperu cut the tape in 29:05.09 as teammate Isaac Too (29:05.72) and Pius Karanja (29:12.41) finished second and third respectively.
"The race went well, according to my expectations. I had expected the time to be between 27:00.00 and 28:30.00. The scorching sun was not a problem because I am used to training in hot conditions...24ºC and above," Samperu said.
"I am looking forward to running in subsequent weekend meetings and doing even better. My plan is to also intensify my training so that I am better prepared to fight for a place in Birmingham or Oregon."
The two-day competition continues on Saturday with more finals on the cards.