Chepkosgei out to launch Oregon dream in Nairobi WU20

Africa Youth 800m silver medalist Sheila Chepkosgei is looking beyond next week’s World Under-20 Championships in Nairobi, but underlines the importance of excelling in the competition at home soil.

Chepkosgei, says she is keen to qualify for the 2021 World Athletics Championships in Oregon, USA, a milestone she wants to start gathering momentum for next week, during the U-20 fiesta.

Sheila said it is unfortunate that no Kenyan woman reached the final of the 800m at the Tokyo Olympic Games with the only semi-finalist Mary Moraa being eliminated at the stage.

“As runners, we need to work hard to ensure we revive the good old days in 800m. We need to emulate the likes of former Olympic champion Pamela Jelimo and world champion Jeneth Jepkosgei and I guess my journey has just started,” she added.

The biannual event which was slated for July 7-12, 2020 in Nairobi was postponed by a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Chepkosgei now feels the postponement was a blessing in disguise, saying she is even better prepared for the challenge than before.

“My target is to win gold in 800m and I have been doing my best in training here at Kasarani. I want to go stronger because I feel we can redeem our country in 800m,” declared the 18-year-old.

Chepkosgei, who hails from Kapsokwony in Mt Elgon, Bungoma County has been training with Brenda Jebet who finished second behind her during the Kenyan trials.

“I have been intensifying my training because I am targeting to run a sub two minutes during the championship,” noted Chepkosgei who was timed at 2:03.76 during the trials.

Having bagged a silver medal in 2019 in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Chepkosgei said she was now ready to upgrade to a gold medal on a bigger stage.

“It is a pity that our fans will not be allowed in the stadium to cheer us up. I want to urge them to understand the situation as it is, but they should be able to follow us live on television,” concluded the Form Three student at Friends Moi High School, Kaptama.