The national under-20 athletics head coach Robert Ngesirei believes early preparations will be key in dominating the World Under 20 Championships which starts on Tuesday in Lima, Peru.
Kenya has been a fixture since the championships' inception in 1986 in Athens, Greece, sitting second in the all-time medal standings.
They have an impressive haul of 212 medals (89 gold, 70 silver and 53 bronze) behind the USA's 263 (115 gold, 84 silver and 64 bronze).
Ethiopia are third with 129 medals (46 gold, 51 silver and 32 bronze).
At the last edition in Cali, Colombia, in 2022, Kenya bagged 10 medals (three gold, three silver and four bronze), finishing fourth behind Ethiopia, Jamaica and the USA.
Ngisirei said: “The training has been thorough. Holding our trials early ensured we had sufficient time to get ready for Lima. This team shows great promise."
Kenya held the U20 trials on June 29 at the Nyayo Stadium where 19 athletes (10 men and nine women) punched their tickets to the competition.
However, it has not been smooth sailing with Ngesirei acknowledging disruptions since some athletes are still in school and had exams to sit, thus skipping training.
“Early trials allowed the students to finish their exams and refocus on training but the long break saw some lose their edge. However, their progress since return to the camp has been commendable,” he added.
Despite the rigorous preparations, Ngisirei urged caution ahead of the championships, acknowledging the stiff competition awaiting the Kenyan squad.
“All athletes around the world have prepared adequately for the championships. We hope our team arrives in Lima in good health, ready to fight for honours," he said.
Leading Kenya's charge in Lima will be African 800m gold medallist Sarah Moraa, 2023 World Cross Country U20 champion Ishmael Kipkurui and 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games 1,500m champion Josphat Kipkirui.
Kenya’s key challengers in Lima include the U20 3,000m steeplechase Sembo Almayew silver medallist of Ethiopia, 2022 1,500m Oceanic champion Claudia Hollingsworth of Australia and Lille 2022 5km road race runner-up Abdisa Fayisa of Ethiopia.
Meanwhile, Ngisirei has acknowledged the importance of the Athletics Kenya/Ministry of Sports training camps, where most of the Team Kenya athletes were identified and nurtured.
“Moraa, Ishmael and Josphat are some of the top prospects from our youth camps. The camps have been instrumental in nurturing upcoming talent in the country,” Ngesirei stated.
“We hope the government will continue to fund the camps to allow the conveyor belt to keep rolling."
