Olympics Countdown: Focus on Sum & the elusive 800m gold

For the 2013 world 800m champion Eunice Sum a lot is at stake as she gears to compete at the Tokyo Olympics.

While she will be chasing her maiden Olympic medal, Sum has also been handed captaincy of Team Kenya, leading the country’s contingent of 87 athletes at the Games that kicks off on Friday.

Sum was confirmed as Team Kenya’s skipper with Kenya sending more women (49) compared to men (38) to the Tokyo Games.

The 33-year-old is one of the experienced athletes in the Kenyan contingent having competed at the highest level for over a decade.

Despite asserting her dominance over the two-lap race where she has clinched Africa, Commonwealth Games and World titles, Sum is yet to make a breakthrough at the Olympics.

Making her third appearance at the Summer Games, Sum is hoping to move a step forward and reach the finals after exiting at the semis during Rio Games in 2016.

“The 800m race is very tactical. At the moment I can’t say I am going for gold. I think I will approach each race at a time as I target to make it to the final,” said Sum.

Despite the absence of defending champion Caster Semenya of South Africa, Sum is still wary of the competitive field that awaits her at the Games.

“Without Semenya it will still be tough. Going by the latest performance, you can see fast times which mean the Olympics will be tight as well,” said Sum.

Sum will team up with the national 400m champion Mary Moraa who has since shifted to the two-lap race and the experienced Emily Tuei with the trio bestowed with the responsibility to claim the gold medal that has eluded Kenya since 2008.

“They are very good.” Sum said of her compatriots. “However in 800m it is hard to talk of team work at the preliminary stages. We will work as a team, maybe at the finals.”

As she plans to exit the 800m at the biggest stage, Sum has hinted at the possibility of moving to distance races while also urging for investments on budding talents over the 800m race.

“It might be my last Olympics competing in 800m but maybe you will see me there in another event. I think we have not been channeling new talents as it should be and therefore I urge Athletics Kenya and other stakeholders to act,” she said.