Chronicle Editor
Ellina Mhlanga in Nairobi, Kenya
ZIMBABWE’S junior sprinters Clinton Muunga and Samukeliso Ndebele are excited to be representing the country in the World Athletics Under-20 Championships that get underway at Kasarani Stadium in Nairobi this morning.
Muunga is up for the men’s 100m heats this morning and will be seeking to advance to the semi-finals scheduled for this afternoon.
“I’m just overwhelmed and overjoyed that I have this opportunity. My goal here is to qualify for the final. I will be grateful for that, but (a) medal position will be a bonus. Honestly, I have pushed myself too hard even during this pandemic, so I think I am well prepared for this event,” said Muunga.
He is also going to compete in the 200m heats scheduled for Friday.
Ndebele will compete in the 200m and still has today and tomorrow to polish her preparation ahead of her event on Friday morning, and is also excited to be at the junior world meet.
“I feel blessed to represent my country at the World Junior Championships. I am very happy because it’s my first time to represent the country in an international competition. I am hoping to run my personal best time and go to the final in the 200m,” said Ndebele.
She is, however, concerned about her build-up to the meet.
“I did not have enough time for training due to Covid-19,” said Ndebele.
The championships have, however, been hit by Covid-19 resulting in the absence of several leading nations.
The United States, Britain, Australia, Japan and Germany, half of the top 10 on the medals table when the event was last staged in 2018, all have not sent a team to the Kenyan capital.
Action is to be held behind closed doors because of the global health crisis.
Kenya topped the medals table in Tampere in Finland in 2018, winning eight golds, and figure to be a dominant force on home soil.
The provisional entry list for the event features 52 Kenyan athletes, among a total of 958 expected to compete.
Twenty-five Authorised Neutral Athletes contribute to that 958, with the Russian Athletics Federation still suspended by World Athletics.
There are 116 countries on the provisional entry list.
The World Athletics Under-20 Championships had been scheduled for 2020, but were delayed by a year because of the Covid-19 crisis.
A first gold medal is scheduled to be awarded in the women’s pole vault today, while the mixed-gender 4x400m relay final is also on the opening day’s timetable.
The discipline made its Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020 last month.
Kasarani Stadium, which is the main venue for the meeting, also hosted the Under-17 World Championships in 2017.
Nations including the US, Australia and Britain opted out then as well, citing security concerns, but organisers have promised to stage a safe event with beefed-up security and Covid-19 countermeasures.
It will also be the first edition of the event to take place with an air-quality monitor installed at the venue. — Additional reporting by Inside the Games
Online Reporter