Africa 20km race walk bronze medalist Sylvia Kemboi and world under 20 10km walk finalist Margaret Gati have joined hands in the hunt for slots in Team Kenya to the World Championships in Budapest in August.
The duo automatically qualified for the national championships without competing at the Athletics Kenya Central Rift championships owing to a small number of entrants.
Kemboi said they realised that only working as a team can deliver their tickets to Hungary. Therefore, she added, they have formulated a programme to be executed at Kemboi's Kaptagat base even though Gati is still in school — Form Three at Cheptononi Secondary School in Nandi county.
Kemboi, who won the bronze medal at the Senior Africa Athletics Championships in Reduit, Mauritius last year, said: “We want to work as a team to ensure that the national walking race title comes to the Central Rift region as part of our plan to make it to the World Championships."
Kemboi, who started training way back in 2018, placed second during the 2020 Olympic Games trials, behind champion Emily Ngii and went ahead to win last year’s national trials to the African championships.
“We want to live and work together on how to walk to victory in our upcoming assignments," said Kemboi.
"Winning the national championships last year was one of the happiest moments in my career while being named in Team Kenya was the best thing that ever happened to me."
Gati said she is eager to join Kemboi but will have to seek clearance from her school management as she seeks to train among the best athletes in the country.
The ambitious teenager said: “To make the cut in Team Kenya, I will have to train thoroughly and Kemboi has offered to host me in Kaptagat ahead of the national championships."
Gati has dominated the Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association and has qualified for the Federation of East Africa Secondary School Association games in Kigali, Rwanda between August 17 and 27.
However, she will have to miss the school championships if she qualifies for the August 19-27 World Championships.
Gati is not new to international championships having represented the country at both the 2021 and 2022 World U-20 Championships in Nairobi and Cali, Colombia respectively.
Kemboi and Gati want to challenge multiple national champions Emily Ngii following the retirement of Kenya Defence Forces' veteran Grace Wanjiru.
