World champ looks forward to exam success

By Kenan Miruka The tall, lanky boy jogs sprightly through the narrow pathways leading to his school compound, notes the time on his wristwatch before heading to the field. Several stretch exercises later, he runs to his dorm to prepare for the day ahead.EXAMS COME ON: Young athlete, Leonard Kosencha, who is sitting this year’s KCSE says athletics instills discipline in an individual which propels them to success. Photo: Kenan Miruka/StandardLeonard Kirwa Kosencha, 17, is an excellence athlete, having blasted his way to victory at the IAAF World Youth Championships in Lille, France, last July. He took the 800m in 1:44.08, breaking the previous record of 1:44.34 held by Bahrain’s Belal Mansoor since 2005.His accomplishment drew rave reviews with many drawing parallels with senior World Record holder in 800m, David Rudisha. Residents of Impoping village in Trans Mara, Narok County, were elated by their son’s feat.Away from the world limelight, he wants to conquer another challenge; the ongoing Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education exams, which he is sitting at Sameta Boys’ High School in Kisii County, where classmates highly respect him.Kosencha smiles as he recollects his sterling performance at the championships."I didn’t know I could break a world record as it requires mental toughness. I had trained so hard at Ngong Hills and Nyayo Stadium, but that achievement was beyond my expectations."Immediately after World Youth Championships, Kosencha took part at the Commonwealth Youth Games at the Isle of Man in early September where he clocked 1:50.62 and won a silver. He says this was not good enough and attributes his ‘poor performance’ to an injury to his right leg, which he sustained in Lille. Missed classesRepresenting the country at the world championships, however, meant that the budding athlete missed classes at school for long periods. But he has put his achievement aside as he tackles this challenge."I have always wanted to learn to the highest level though at one time I nearly quit school due to financial difficulty. My dream has been to become a Kiswahili author," says Kosencha.He is already working on his book Jicho la Afrika, which is about Kenyan life."Kiswahili is my favourite besides agriculture and geography. I want to pass my exams well to get a scholarship to study abroad," he says.Although he is aware time away from class may affect his grade, he is optimistic about excelling."While in camp, I could spare time to revise. This field requires self-discipline because nobody will tell you to wake up and train. Athletics instills discipline in an individual, which propels them to succeed," he observes.The last born son in a family of four, Kosencha lost his mother in 1999 while his father passed on earlier. His elder brother helped him through his days at Ildolisho Primary School and later Shartuka Secondary. It was at Shartuka that he discovered his talent.To go through school, Kosencha had to sell his only cow and lease out his portion of land to raise fees before his talent enabled him to access scholarships. He even changed schools and joined Riruta Secondary in Nairobi following national coach Gregory Kilonzo’s advice.But life in Nairobi became difficult, he says, and left to join Sameta in January.Last year, he was part of the team to the East Africa games in Nakuru where he won 400m silver and later gold in Eritrea.My focus"In future, my focus is to put a mark in 800m when I graduate to senior men category. I think of later shifting to longer races. I need to grow in experience into an established athlete." His routine at the school includes waking up at 6am to run up the Sameta Hill for 30 minutes before returning to prepare for class. At 4pm, he repeats his morning practice."Talent can open doors but you need to be disciplined and monitor your health. I have learnt to use my talent to advance my studies as I have benefitted from fee waivers in school. Not many athletes come from well-to-do families," says Kosencha.

World champ looks forward to exam success

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