Mokamba in no show, Nkanata finishes last in 200m heats

It was a disappointment for Kenya in the 200m at the ongoing Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil after the national champion, Mike Mokamba, failed to turn up for the event while the US-based Kenyan sprinter, Carvin Nkanata, finished last in his heat.

Nkanata, whose participation in the games was still in doubt, arrived in Rio a few hours to the race and crossed the finish line at 21.43 seconds.

On the other hand, Mokamba failed to honour the race without giving any explanations leaving the organizers and the country confused.

Nkanata, who qualified for the games during the June Montverde sprint meet after clocking 20.46 seconds, had been denied entry into the games ten days to the start of the Olympics for lack of proper documentation to validate him as a Kenyan athlete.

The University of Pittsburgh graduate was also blocked from accessing the athlete’s village on arrival in Brazil and had to put up at the Kenyan Ambassador to Brazil’s residence before departing back to the United States.

However, he was later declared eligible by the International Olympics Committee (IOC) and International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) after he had appealed against his exclusion from the games.

Nkanata, 25, has represented Kenya in international competitions since 2012 and holds the national record in the 200 meters at 20.14 seconds.

He has competed in four international events for Kenya, earning a bronze medal in the African Championships and finishing second in this year’s Olympic trials staged in Eldoret.