After bowing out in the first heat of the 4x400m mixed relay at the Paris Olympics, seasoned 400m sprinter Veronica Mutua is confident Kenya will bounce back stronger, drawing from the invaluable experience gained.
The Kenyan quartet of Mutua, David Sanayek, Boniface Mweresa and Mercy Chebet placed seventh in Heat One of the 4x400m with a time of 3:13.13— just ahead of last-placed Bahamas (3:14.58), missing out on the slot in the finals.
Mutua reckons that the Paris Olympics provided a learning curve for the mixed relay squad which they will use in the upcoming events.
“This was Kenya’s first outing in the Olympic mixed relay—a relatively new event. Our performance didn’t meet expectations but the lessons learned will be crucial for upcoming championships,” she remarked.
The mixed relay, introduced in 2017 at the World Relays in Nassau, Bahamas, made its Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020, where Poland (3:09.87), the Dominican Republic (3:10.21), and the USA (3:10.22) claimed the podium spots.
This was Kenya’s maiden appearance in the event at the Olympics having placed 16th in global ranking to secure their ticket.
Mutua also pointed out that the team had identified key areas for improvement from the Paris race.
“We’ve pinpointed our mistakes. Our focus is on refining those aspects and ensuring all mixed relay athletes improve their times. We have to get 50 seconds or sub-50 for the women in the relays,” she added.
She underscored the importance of quality training facilities in nurturing sprint talent.
“The government must invest in better training facilities for sprinters. The Miramas camp was excellent for us, but we need more of such resources at home,” she urged.
The mixed relay squad had earlier trained at Kenya’s camp in Miramas, Southern France, to sharpen their competitive edge.
Mutua highlighted the improvement in the mixed relays' global rank.
“We were able to move from position 16 to position 12 in the World rankings which is quite an improvement for us,” she noted.
Before the Olympics, Kenya was ranked in position 16 globally but has since moved to position 12 following the conclusion of the Olympics.
Looking ahead, Mutua is optimistic about the relay team's chances of securing a spot at the 2025 Tokyo World Championships, where the top 14 teams from the World Relays in China in May 2025, will automatically qualify for the Tokyo event.
“Our goal is clear—qualification for the 2025 World Championships. With proper preparation and consistency, we’re confident we’ll make the cut,” she asserted.
