Athletics Kenya outlines country’s medal target at Paris 2024 Olympics

© Barnaba Korir X.

OLYMPICS Athletics Kenya outlines country’s medal target at Paris 2024 Olympics

Joel Omotto 14:08 - 27.11.2023

Athletics Kenya official Barnaba Korir has outlined the number of gold medals Kenya will be aiming at during next year’s Olympic Games in Paris, France

Kenya will be targeting a minimum of six gold medals at the Paris 2024 Olympics after managing four at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Games.

Team Kenya won 10 medals (four gold, as many silver, and two bronze) in Tokyo in 2021 but Athletics Kenya Executive member and Chairman for Youth Development Barnaba Korir feels they have a chance to increase that tally due to the intense preparations the country intends to have.

Kenya’s officials, led by Paris Olympics Chef de Mission Shadrack Maluki, have been in France in the past week to assess the facilities that will be used by athletes ahead of a three-month residential camp that will be funded by the government.

“We want to make sure that there are no mistakes for next year and I am sure that that team [in France] has done what is necessary,” Korir, who is also Team Kenya deputy Chef de Mission told Citizen TV.

“What is remaining is to make sure we have a strong team and early preparations. President Willian Ruto has indicated that we should have even three months minimum training period in the camps and we want to ensure that this country gets the best."

“It is very difficult to predict but I always think maybe we have to target a minimum of six gold medals,” added Korir.

Kenya has won six gold medals at the Olympics twice, first in Beijing, China in 2008 when they managed a total of 16 with an additional four and six silver and bronze respectively, and in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil when they cliched 13 in total after adding six more silver and one bronze.

The country has relied on athletics for medals at the Olympics with boxing the only other sport that has brought a medal to the country since its first participation at the games in 1964. However, that happened last in 1988 through then men’s middleweight bronze medallist Chris Sande.

It appears that Kenya will be relying on athletics in Paris again with hopes, especially in both men's and women’s marathons, 1,500m women where Faith Kipyegon is tipped to claim a third Olympics gold, 800m that has world champion Mary Moraa and youngster Emmanuel Wanyonyi and the women’s 3,000m steeplechase.

Kenya Sevens and Malkia Strikers are the team sports that have already sealed their place at the Olympics but going by past results, winning gold could be a stretch for both sides.

National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) secured state-of-the-art facilities in Miramas city in France where Kenyan athletes will set up a pre-Olympics boot camp in the run-up to the Games in Paris.

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