World Indoor 800m champion Collins Kipruto believes upcoming athletes have a lot to gain by participating in the ongoing Athletics Kenya track and field weekend series.
Kipruto said the two-day events offer athletes the opportunity to finesse their skills and take their careers to the next level.
"To those who are competing in this series for the first time, my advice is to continue participating in more of the same. This is because of the opportunity to attract the eye of potential agents and managers who can help grow their careers to an international level," Kipruto said.
The 1st leg of the series held the past weekend at Nyayo Stadium, Nairobi, attracted a record number of athletes, keen to kickstart their track and field season on a high.
In particular, the men's 100m consisted of over 120 sprinters, forcing the race to be segmented into 17 heats.
The second and third legs of the competition will be held at Kenyatta Stadium (Kisumu) and Embu University (Embu).
The 2019 Palio Citta della Quercia 800m champion believes this is a good sign of the hunger and passion that Kenyan athletes have for the sport.
"For many of those in attendance, this is their first race of the year and so they may be using it to gauge their level of physical readiness. They want to see whether their efforts in training are paying off or not," he said.
Kipruto added: "In the case of the 100m, I think the exploits of Ferdy (Ferdinand Omanyala) in the last year has shown everyone that it is possible to succeed in sprints if you put your mind to it."
Kipruto was also in action in the men's 800m, easily coasting to victory in his own heat. However, the True Athletes Classics 800m champion said the race was more than about the victory for him.
"I did not want to strain myself too much especially with the upcoming World Indoor Championships. I haven't trained much this year. There are some aspects I need to refine before I am at the best level. One of them is speedwork," he said.
Albeit he is keen on defending his World Indoor title in Belgrade, Serbia on March 18-20, Kipruto's ultimate aim is a podium place at the World Championship in Oregon, the USA in July.
"That is the main honour I am targeting, having competed in the World Indoors and all the other competitions. I know it won't be easy considering the calibre of opposition on offer, such as Craig Engels of the United States who doubles up in 1500m as well," he said.