• Mutua will join forces with National 400m champion Mercy Chebet, 2015 African 400m silver medallist Boniface Mweresa, Maureen Thomas, David Sanayek, Kelvin Tauta and the late addition to the team, Kelvin Kipkorir.
• The team leaves Miramas for the Olympic village on Sunday ahead of their race set for August 2 at 9:10pm Kenyan time.
Image: TEDDY MULEI
2022 African 400m bronze medallist, Veronica Mutua is dreaming of an Olympic medal in her maiden appearance in the 4x400m mixed relay event.
Mutua will join forces with National 400m champion Mercy Chebet, 2015 African 400m silver medallist Boniface Mweresa, Maureen Thomas, David Sanayek, Kelvin Tauta and the late addition to the team, Kelvin Kipkorir.
Mutua believes winning an Olympic medal will be the crowning moment of her career in her first and possibly last appearance at the quadrennial extravaganza.
“Winning any medal in Paris will be a huge deal. It will be the culmination of all my hard work since I took up sprints,” Mutua revealed.
“This will be my last Olympics and Mweresa’s as well. We need to ensure we get to the final and secure a medal to make our journeys in sprint memorable,” she added.
Mutua's career has been a series of highs and lows, finishing eighth in the semi-finals of the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast with a time of 54.85 seconds.
In the 2022 Birmingham Games, she was eliminated in the semis after clocking 54.80 seconds for another eighth-place finish.
Despite these setbacks, her resilience shone through when she clinched bronze at the 2022 African Championships, clocking 52.76 seconds.
Alongside Alphas Kishoyian, Jacinta Shikanda and Mweresa, they placed sixth (3:23.79) at the World Relays in Nassau, Bahamas, in 2017.
The mixed relay team travelled earlier to Kenya’s training camp in Miramas, southern France, to intensify preparations. Mutua revealed their times in training have been improving ahead of the global showpiece.
“We have been recording really good times in training. Our speed is gradually improving as well as the team’s chemistry,” she said.
However, not everything has been smooth sailing. Mutua acknowledged their concerns over baton handling.
“We have not perfected the baton exchange yet. But hopefully, we will have it done before the Olympics begin,” she added.
The 32-year-old will be banking on her experience to propel the team to Olympic glory.
"I have some experience having taken part in commonwealth meetings and African Championships. Mweresa also has that experience and we will use that to ensure we get a medal," she said.
Mutua highlighted the team’s high morale as the Paris showdown looms.
“The mood around the squad is lively. We are ready for the race. We don’t expect it to be easy, but we are ready to give our best. The addition of Kipkorir has also had a positive impact on the team,” Mutua said.
The team leaves Miramas for the Olympic Village on Sunday ahead of their race set for August 2 at 9:10 pm Kenyan time.