Sawe eyes Kenyas High jump Olympics history

When team Kenya departs for the Rio 2016 Olympics in late July, Matthew Sawe, is among hundreds of the country’s athletes who will be hoping to be a part of that squad.

What makes him stand out however is should he qualify for the Summer Games in Brazil over the coming weeks; he will make history as the first High jumper to represent Kenya at the Olympics.

Sawe departs the country on Wednesday looking for that elusive Olympics slot and needs to jump 2.28m or better to beat the Rio qualifications mark.

He will compete in Ostrava IAAF Golden Grand Prix meeting next weekend before heading to Frankfurt and Paris.

“This is something I have all my focus on and hopefully I will soon make it,” Sawe confidently remarked.

High jump became a sensation in Kenya two years ago when an amateur video showing students taking part in high school games in Mosoriot went viral when it was posted on YouTube, with over 5.5m views thus far.

The field event may soon return to the limelight if the 27 year-old Sawe has his way and completes what would be a fairytale qualification to the biggest sporting carnival on the planet.

Born in 1989 in Nandi County; he first discovered the High jump while schooling at Itigo Mixed Secondary School in Kosirai and has never looked back in his quest to excel in a discipline that has no notable international success.

He represented Kenya at the 2012 African Athletics Championships in Benin, where he bagged the bronze medal.

His talent saw him selected by world governing body; the IAAF to join the High Performance Training Centre in Dakar, Senegal.

He adds that “After Senegal IAAF took me to Paris and that is where I have been for the last two years fine-tuning my skill.”

And soon, the formal training at his event began to show after he shattered the national record last year when he jumped 2.25m at Nairobi’s Safaricom Stadium on July 31 to erase the previous best of 2.24m set by veteran Jacob Katonon at the 1991 All Africa Games in Cairo. Egypt.

“Last year was a great year. I broke my record after coming back from an injury. I am happy,” the athlete remarked during his interview on the sidelines of the Kenya Defense Forces Track and Field Championships in Nairobi last week.

He dreams of one day competing against his role model and Qatari Mutaz Barshim who is the Olympics bronze medallist, Asian and national record holder.

“I used to be a runner but when I tried the high jump my talent naturally stood out. I believe I can make it,” he asserted.

In addition to qualifying for the Olympics, Sawe is expecting his first baby at the end of month.

Field sport in the country has broken barriers with the exploits of World, Commonwealth champion and two-time African men Javelin champion, Julius Yego as Kenya seeks to expand its medal catchment outside the established distance running.