National Olympics Committee of Kenya (NocK) President Paul Tergat reckons Kenya will bag more than five gold medals in Paris.
Kenya's best Olympic performance came in Rio 2016 and Beijing 2008, where they clinched six gold medals each.
At the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Kenya bagged four golds, thanks to Emmanuel Korir (800m), Faith Kipyegon (1500m), Peres Jepchirchir (women's marathon), and Eliud Kipchoge (men's marathon).
Tergat, a two-time Olympic 10,000m silver medalist, believes the assembled team can surpass Kenya's previous best. “ I am confident of at least five gold medals in various events,” he said.
“We expect medals from the 5,000m, 10,000m and marathon from both men's and women’s teams among other events, ” he added.
Tergat won silver at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics in the 10,000m, finishing in 27:08.17 behind Ethiopia’s Haile Gebrselassie (27:07.34) and ahead of Morocco’s Salah Hissou (27:24.67).
At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Gebrselassie once again edged him out, with Tergat clocking 27:18.29 to Gebrselassie’s 27:18.20.
Tergat believes the selected team is strong and more than capable of achieving the feat. “This is the best team we have for Kenya. They need all the encouragement for positive results," he said.
The NOCK boss was speaking during the unveiling of the Kenyan delegation to Paris.