By Oscar Pilipili
Kenyan athletes to the African Championships will use the event to display to the world a preview of what should be expected at 2012 London Olympic Games.
Team captain Mark Mutai said the team is out to show their Olympics colleagues the way to success when they compete at the continental athletics show to be staged at Porto Nova, Benin on June 26 to July 1.
“Most of our athletes who are going to London are traveling to Porto Nova but the African Championships will definitely have a bearing on how Kenyans will perform in London because it’s the same blood,” said Mutai
The Porto Nova team departed on Sunday at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport promising to return home with an avalanche of medals.
The team arrived at the Airport at 10am only to meet shocking announcement that their flight had been cancelled.
But quick intervention by Sports Secretary Professor Wilson Langat assured that the team left for Benin as per original plans.
Kenya won the overall title with 10 gold medals out of the 25 that it clinched in Nairobi in 2010 and Mutai believes the feat can be repeated at Porto Nova.
Morale high
“Morale is very high in the team and everybody is thinking about victory in Porto Nova,” said Mutai.
“On behalf of our colleagues who are going for Olympics, we want to use the African Championships to send a warning shot to the rest of the world that Kenya is ready to conquer London,” he said.
World junior champion Faith Chepngetich said African Championships is part of build-up events to Olympics.
