Kenya's youth athletes out to clinch medals in Canada
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It is not every year that the world junior championship is held yet it is the dream of every athlete to sign off from the age group competition on a high just to secure a head start in terms of appearance fees once he graduates to the senior cadre.
It's on this backdrop that the challenge and pressure is intolerable for the Kenyan youngsters' shoulders as they headed to Moncton, Canada Friday for this year's championship which starts on Monday.
The country staged a splendid performance in Santiago (Chile) in 2000 and Beijing (China) in 2006 to be crowned champions and now the allure of making it three times right is too much to resist.
In Santiago in 2000, Kenya got 14 medals - seven gold four silver and three bronze while Beijing in 2006 Kenya won its second overall title with 15 medals - six gold, seven silver and two bronze.
Two years ago, Kenya lost to United States and Germany in Bydgoszcz, Poland, in 2008, settling for third place with 11 medals - four gold, five silver and two bronze.
Two of the champions in Poland, Mercy Cherono and Jonathan Muia Ndiku will be back in Moncton for the final bow before graduating to the senior trying to win the last junior title.
Cherono, won the 3,000m flat race while Ndiku won the 3,000m steeplechase. Two other gold medallists Christine Kambua Muyanga and Jonathan Bett are not eligible and have been left behind.
Cherono, a 3,000m defending champion, is taking her added duty with relish and remained optimistic she will get the top medal in Canada in her final year as a junior.
Cherono will have world cross country 8km junior men champion Caleb Mwangangi as his assistant.
Mwangangi will be competing in the shorter 1,500m race while Cherono will double up in her speciality and the 5,000m race.
However, the production chain has not dried up in Kenya. Dennis Masai wants to eclipse his siblings and set a new world record in 10,000m and is relishing the challenge he anticipates in Moncton.
Masai, together with other 24 budding talented will be flying Kenyan flag high in Canada as the world converges for the premier junior track and field championship.
"I see this as a challenge. I have always envied my siblings, world champion in women 10,000m race Linet Masai and men World bronze medallist over the same distance Moses Masai," he said.
"They have been advising me on the bets running tactics and I want to prolong my career as a 10,000m runner."
It certainly confirms that the battle in the long distance will pit Ethiopia against Kenya.
The two countries will once again spar over the middle and long distance domination. World Youth 800m champion Cherono Koech is expected to have smooth sail in the two lap race following the withdrawal of women's world 800 meters champion Caster Semenya of South Africa.
Semenya was left out of the South Africa team despite being cleared to race again after completing gender tests.
The Athletics South Africa (ASA) said on its website, that Semenya would come into consideration for the Commonwealth Games to held in New Delhi in October.
Ethiopia has lined up a few young champions in a bid to wrest the honors off their Kenyan colleagues.
World indoor 1500m champion Kalkidan Gezhagne and African junior 5000m champion Genzebe Dibaba will lead a strong squad named by the Ethiopian Athletics Federation.
Gezhagne, who in March became the youngest ever winner of an IAAF world indoor title when taking victory in the women's 1500m final, is expected to recover from a knee injury that has plagued her participation in the track season this year.
She is also expected to take her place in the squad alongside national 1500m champion Asmerawork Bekele with Tizita Bogale, fourth in the world youth championships last year, also named in a reserved role.
Dibaba, who has made a strong start in the outdoor season with an encouraging third place finish in Doha over the 1500m, is another medal hopeful in the team.
Lining up alongside her is world youth 3000m bronze medallist Genet Yalew, while world youth 3000m fourth placer Emebet Anteneh will line up in the 3000m.
The men's team will be led by national 10,000m champion Yetwale Kinde who also lines up in the 10,000m, while Zebene Alemayehu, an impressive national champion over the 800m in May, is slated to compete in the 1,500m this time.
Kenya will depend on Mercy Cherono, the defending champion in 3,000m. She will double up in 5,000m while Jonathan Muia Ndiku will be also keen to secure his title in the 3,000m steeplechase. Cherono Koech is the latest talent to be churned out after Pamela Jelimo and Janeth Jepkosgei.
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