Kenya's athletics officials said Tuesday they are focusing on
next year's Beijing's Olympic Games after a sterling performance in
the just concluded 11th World Athletics Championships in Osaka,
Japan.
Athletics Kenya (AK) secretary general David Okeyo said red
carpet will be laid out to the team which emerged second ahead of
over 40 other countries in Osaka.
"Our team which had one of the youngest runners in the
championships have done us proud and the focus is now on next
year's Olympic Games in Beijing," Okeyo told Xinhua by telephone on
Tuesday.
He also announced that only 16 out of the 37 athletes in the
squad are expected to arrive in Nairobi late Tuesday from Japan,
adding that the rest of the group had flown to Europe for next
week's Grand Prix meets.
"I have been informed to expect about 15 or 16 athletes since
others have races in Europe next week and have gone there to
prepare," Okeyo said.
Many analysts had predicted that Kenya's team would not perform
well in Osaka but the runners in the squad produced a perfect
return back by recording the country's best ever performance in the
competition.
During the championships which ended on Sunday, the east African
nation managed 13 medals, including five gold, three silver and
five bronze, only next to the United States which took home 26
medals.
"Most of the athletes in the Osaka team are young and they are
the same ones we will rely on for medals in Beijing with a few
additions. We will not rest simply because we did well in Osaka,"
Okeyo said.
The east African nation produced the best performance than the
previous championships where they got four gold, three silver and a
single bronze medals in Tokyo in 1991.
Two years ago in Helsinki, Kenya blew cold again with just one
gold medal, two silver and four bronze.
(Xinhua News Agency September 4, 2007)