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| Zablon Ekwam |
World 800m champion Mary Moraa and former 400m national champion Zablon Ekwam will not feature in the Kenyan 4x400m mixed relay team at the Paris Olympics.
Moraa and Ekwam were key anchors during the Olympic Trials, which saw Kenya secure an Olympic spot last month.
Alongside Mercy Chebet and Kelvin Tauta, the quartet clocked 3:11.88 to dethrone the Czech Republic and rank within the Olympic quota of 16 nations.
Sprints coach Stephen Mwaniki revealed that six athletes, dedicated solely to relays, will represent Kenya in the mixed relay event in Paris.
“We selected a team of six athletes, three men and three women on Wednesday for the mixed relay event in Paris. These athletes will compete solely in the mixed relay,” Mwaniki stated.
The selected athletes are David Sanayek, Boniface Mweresa, Kelvin Kipkorir, Mercy Chebet, Veronica Mutua and Maureen Thomas.
The team reported to the residential camp at Moi Stadium, Kasarani on Thursday to begin Olympic preparations. Mwaniki emphasised that training will focus on baton exchanges.
“The team reported to camp on Thursday to begin preparations for the Olympics,” he stated.
“We are going to work more on the baton exchange because if we get it right, the athletes will no doubt run faster,” he added.
He also highlighted the importance of the qualification to the global show.
“The qualification means a lot for the country. This is a strong indicator that our sprint athletes are coming up strongly,” he said.
“For the first time in history, the country will be sending nine sprinters to the Olympics,” he added.
Apart from the six relay athletes, the other sprints include; Africa’s fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala (100m), former 400m national champion Zablon Ekwam (400m) and Wiseman Were (400m hurdles).
The mixed relay event will kick off on August 2, with the finals set for August 3. The mixed relay team will be seeking to book a slot in the finals.
“Our target is to make the finals. From there, we will plan for a podium finish,” Mwaniki remarked.
Despite the fierce competition, Mwaniki cautioned rivals not to underestimate the Kenya team. “The teams in Paris will be competitive. We, however, also have a strong team that should not be overlooked,” he stated.
Kenya will be up against the USA, Netherlands, Ireland, Belgium, Poland, Nigeria, Dominican Republic, France, Bahamas, Great Britain, Germany, Switzerland, Jamaica, Ukraine and Italy.
The USA are the current world record holder over the distance in a time of 3:08.80 set at the World Championships last year in Budapest, Hungary.
Poland are the Olympic defending champions after clocking 3:09.87 to secure the title in Tokyo. Mwaniki believes Kenya’s relay success in Paris will mark a return to the glory days.
“The country is growing in terms of sprints and the relays. We are slowly returning to the glory days when Kenya won gold at the Olympics in the relay event,” Mwaniki said.
Kenya’s quartet of Charles Asati, Munyoro Nyamau, Robert Ouko and Julius Sang clocked 2:59.83 to win gold at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany. Great Britain (3:00.46) and France (3:00.65) completed the podium.
by TEDDY MULEI