The 2019 African Games gold medallist Emily Ngii is eyeing a maiden Olympic appearance after a failed attempt during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Ngii, a race-walker, missed out on the Olympics due to technical issues but she now hopes to rectify that and finally realise her dream of competing on the international stage.
“I was supposed to go to the 2020 Olympics but I did not go because there was no accredited judge to verify if I had qualified for the event in the country. This time around, I want to hit the qualifying mark outside the country,” Ngii said.
The 37-year-old won the women’s 10,000m walk in 46:53.2 at the just concluded Athletics Kenya (AK) track and field weekend meeting held at the Nyayo National Stadium on January 27.
Silvia Jerono of Central Rift took second spot (48:29.5) while Caren Naliaka (51:59.2) finished third.
In 2019 at the African Games held in Rabat, Morocco, Ngii won the gold medal in the women's 20km walk.
At the 2014 African Championships held in Marrakech, Morocco, she won the silver medal in the women's 20km walk event.
She also competed in the women's 20km walk at the 2022 World Athletics Championships held in Eugene, Oregon.
In the same year, she won bronze in the 10,000m walk during the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England on August 2022 clocking 43:50.82
She is currently preparing for the upcoming African Games slated for March 8-23 in Accra, Ghana which she says she will use to qualify for the Olympics.
“I want to train hard before I get to the All-African Games because that’s where I plan to qualify for the Olympics,” she noted.
The 37-year-old, who trains at the KDF 4th Brigade in Ngong under David Kimutai, said she will also be participating in the walk relays at the Olympics.
