Okutoyi eyes 2024 Paris Olympic Games slot with 365 days to go

Junior Wimbledon Grand Slam champion Angela Okutoyi is looking to make Team Kenya to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Okutoyi believes her qualification to Paris 2024 could inspire young girls to venture into tennis. 

Okutoyi became the first Kenyan to win a girls' junior singles Grand Slam match after defeating Italian qualifier Federica Urgesi at the 2022 Australian Open.

She went ahead to win the doubles title together with Dutch Rose Nijkamp.

Okutoyi if she qualifies could become the first Kenyan tennis player to represent the country at the Olympics.

“Each morning, I wake with a vivid dream in my heart—to become the first Kenyan to qualify for the Olympics. I find myself engrossed in promotional videos and envisioning the tennis matches played at the prestigious Roland Garros," said Okutoyi.

"My ultimate goal is to inspire young girls across Kenya, showing them that anything is possible at the pinnacle of sports, the Olympics.”

As we mark 365 days away from the Paris Olympics, Kenyan teams and athletes are already bumped with representing the country. The games will be held in the City of Lights, Paris, France from July 26 to August 11, 2024.

World record holder and two-time Olympic Champion, Eliud Kipchoge aims to make history as the first man to win the Olympic Marathon three times in a row.

German-born Kenyan fencer Alexandra Ndolo also targets to make history as the first Kenyan fencer to grace the Olympics. 

She changed her allegiance in 2022 after representing Germany for 15 years. She recently won the African Championships held in Egypt last month and is currently ranked sixth worldwide and first continentally.

"I couldn’t hold my tears in Cairo last month at the Africa Championships when the Kenyan anthem was played. I can’t imagine what will happen if I hear the anthem at the Paris Olympics. I can't explain the feeling," offered Ndolo.

Double Olympic 1,500m champion Faith Kipyegon has made headlines after breaking the 1,500m, 5,000m, and mile records all within 50 days. After winning the 5,000m race at the national trials for Budapest, she expressed her ambitions to win her specialty for the third time in Paris while also going for the 5,000m race.

"My target next year is to add a third Olympic title in the 1,500m race while also going for a gold in the 5,000m," said Kipyegon.