Mathew Sawe eyes high-jump Olympics slot
Athletics
By
DENNIS OKEYO
| May 01, 2016
Kenya had been widely known for producing track, road races and marathon stars at will; until Julius Yego with his javelin, came calling.
Yego, made a giant throw of 92.72 metres to become the first Kenyan to win a World Championships gold medal in a field event.
The interest and culture change towards field events is growing, thanks to Yego's exploits. And it seems the bug has already bitten Mathew Sawe, who is making inroads in high jump.
People who are familiar with the sport can identify with greats such as Qatari's Mutaz Barshim or Bogdan Bondarenko of Ukraine. But Sawe is making remarkable progress in his pursuit to join the elite high jumpers in the world.
Sawe developed interest in the sport at Itigo Mixed Secondary School Kosirai in Nandi County. He represented Kenya at 2012 African Athletics Championship in Porto Novo, Benin, where he who bronze medal.
At the championship, he was selected by the International Association of Athletics Federations to join their High Performance Training Centre in Dakar, Senegal.
The 27-year old Sawe set a national record of 2.25m during the world championship trials in 2015 at Kasarani Stadium, but could not qualify for the championships, missing the required entry point by mere three centimeters.
Accompanied by his IAAF coach Moussa Fall, Sawe won gold for Thika Barracks during the KDF Athletics Championships after he cleared 2.22m.
Sawe has set his eyes on representing Kenya at the forthcoming Olympics in Rio and has planned a series of international events that will help him achieve his dream. He will compete in Paris, Ostrava and Frankfurt as part of his preparations.
"Last year, I missed the world championships' qualification mark by three centimetres. But the journey has been a tough ride and will not give up," Sawe said.
"I am really inspired and hope to be in Rio. It will be a dream come true. The KDF championship was the first event this year and I will participate in several others in Europe, beginning with Paris."