Africa-Press – Kenya. National race walk coach George Kariuki has revealed that Kenya has laid out an elaborate and ambitious blueprint to mount a serious assault on global glory at the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships set for April 12 in Brasília, Brazil.
The World Race Walking Team Championships is a biennial showpiece that has been staged since 1961.
For this year’s showdown, however, the championship is entering a new chapter following World Athletics’ decision to introduce the half marathon and full marathon race walk events.
With the two new distances set for their maiden test on Brazilian soil, Kariuki says the focus has now shifted to ensuring Kenya’s teams are adequately prepared to rise to the occasion and make an immediate impact.
“We will be having the World Race Walking Championships in Brazil this year, and our athletes are well aware that they will be competing in these two new events,” Kariuki told the Star.
Kariuki revealed that Kenya will deploy a gender-specific strategy, with female athletes contesting the half marathon race walk, while the men will take on the gruelling full marathon distance.
“Team Kenya is ready for that. I proposed that the women’s team do the half marathon and the men’s team the full marathon,” he added.
The tactician stressed the importance of assembling a strong and deep contingent, noting that success at the championships hinges on collective effort rather than individual brilliance.
“Since it is a team competition, for instance, the marathon requires four athletes, with three scoring points,” he explained.
“All four must complete the entire distance. The same scenario will also apply to the half marathon.”
Kariuki underlined Kenya’s desire to extend its famed long-distance running dominance into race walking.
“We want to make an impact. Kenya is known for long-distance running, and in race walking, we also want to do the same,” he said.
At the previous edition of the championships in Antalya, Turkey, Kenya failed to register a medal, as China dominated the standings with seven medals.
Spain finished top of the podium with eight medals, while Peru claimed two.
Kariuki believes an early residential camp will be crucial in building team cohesion and sharpening competitive readiness.
“Because we are coming from the festive season, we now need to bring them together for combined sessions so that they can gel,” he said.
“We need to have something of a residential camp so that they can focus fully on the coming competition.”
He also highlighted the technical and physical demands involved in preparing athletes for the new race walk distances.
“We only have three months to the championships. Preparing for a marathon requires at least three months, so I think we have sufficient time to properly prepare for the races,” Kariuki noted.
