Sixty six year old Esther kavaya will be among the first Kenyans in search of medals for Athletics Kenya Masters team starting from tomorrow at the 25th edition of the World Athletics Masters Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden.
At the Slottsskogsvallen Stadium in, Kavaya, the goldalist medal in the 4×400m relays at the 1987 All African Games in Nairobi will be in the women’s 100m heats for athletes aged between 65 years and 69 years.
The mother of three is brimming with optimism that she will give a good show in the event.
“We did our trials in Nairobi and I was privileged to be one of the athletes selected to represent Kenya here in Gothenburg. We are in good shape since we have trained well and ready for the challenge ahead. We understand that the competition is tough because there are many countries participating but we are not shaken by that, since we are world beaters,” Kavaya said after a training session on Monday.
Linda Saina who won three medals last year in Poland and Ruth Muthoka will also be in action on Tuesday in the women’s 100m in category W50 and W70 respectively.
“I am really excited and looking forward to the race. We have prepared and the team is well psyched to perform well. We are here as Kenyan ambassadors to show the globe that we have strong elite runners, strong youth runners and now strong masters runners. It is an encouragement that it is never too late to start something. This kind of running goes beyond the truck in terms of benefits to the body.”
More than 111 countries are taking part in the competition.
Athletics Kenya Masters in Action on Tuesday
Linda ChelimoSaina -100m (W50)
Esther Kavaya -100m – (W65)
Ruth Muthoka -100m (W70)