Kenya's debutantes seek to curve niche in London

There is a first time for everything including performance at the Olympic Games and in Kenya team over 10 athletes out of the 48 that will be in London are rubbing their hands with glee relishing the expected challenge.

However, though they are unknown at this level, their arrival has prompted a rummage through the roots of these competitors' history - a fascination with what has gone into the making of this new generation of champions.

Four of these athletes 400m hurdler Alphas Kishoyian, World Indoor 3,000m champion Helen Obiri, Faith Chepng' etich - a winner of the gold medal at the World Junior championships over 1,500m distance - and Timothy Kitum, the world youth bronze medallist holds the biggest hope of the next generation that will carry Kenya' s flag beyond the London Games.

"We have trust in these young athletes. They have shown time and again that they can take on their rivals in the senior cadre. But the Olympics is a new ball game and they will not find it easy, but they will certainly cope. They will carry this country to Rio 2016," said head coach Julius Kirwa Thursday in Nairobi.

Of course there are other fringe athletes in the Kenya team, who many might rule them out as no threat, but surprise is an element that has made the Olympics be what it is as the ultimate stage in sports competition.

"Nobody expected Nancy Jebet Lagat to win in Beijing in the 1,500m race. Coming to the games, she had just graduated to the four-lap after starting off as a 800m athlete in her junior career. But she held the world at ransom and stormed to new level as the lone wolf in Kenya team, who many had no time to talk to. I may just get such performance, though talking of gold at the moment is not ideal. It is better to focus on making it to the finals," said Obiri, Thursday in Nairobi.

Throw in Eunice Sum, the understudy to Olympic 800m silver medallist Janeth Jepkosgei. Sum, the Africa 800m silver medallist broke to the world stage in Daegu World Championships last year. But she was not strong to make the finals. She has since jumped up the strata to 1,500m and hopes to use her strong final sprint to catch her rivals off guard in London.

"I made my debut at international stage last year in Daegu though, in Kenyan standards it was not that impressive. I have been embroiled in intense training and hope to return in London being in top shape to wrest the 1,500m gold. I can do it and be prepared for me to make a real statement in London," said Sum, who is 24 years old.

"I went to Benin (Africa Athletics Championships) eying just one thing, reignite my career. I wanted something to look upon as an incentive, to motivate and inspire me when I travel to London for the Olympics. I got a silver and am happy with it. It is a positive step, now I need to focus on the bigger task that is the Olympic Games. The 800m is my specialty and having secured a ticket to the Olympics in the 1,500m distance, it was important for me to use it to gauge my speed work," she said.

In men's 800m David Rudisha has the gold medal wrapped up and unless an injury denies him Kenya can start counting the golden chicks even before the chicken hatches.

But there are two gentlemen, who will serve as the silver lining that will be wrapping around the steel of Rudisha, Timothy Kitum and Anthony Chemut.

Both underlines the fact that the king of 800m distance is undisputed but the belief that they too can emerge from London with a medal has made it look possible for Kenya to sweep the medal podium in London over the two-lap race.

Chemut was in Porto Novo, Benin eying glory and only got silver behind Algerian Taoufik Makhloufi. Now nothing can stop him dreaming of Olympic stardom.

"I am confident Kenyan team will win all the three top positions in the Olympics. My greatest moment will be to come home with a medal from the Olympics since this is the first time I am participating," he said.

But he also warned that Sudan' s Abubakar Kaki, the world silver medallist will be a threat to the Kenya plans.

But it is the 10,000m that Africa cross country champion Joyce Chepkirui will be seeking to curve a niche after she orchestrated the ejection of World champion Linet Masai out of the Kenya team, albeit on merit.

"I' m so happy; I' m speechless on making the Kenya team. But that happiness is only short lived, nobody will remember this performance if I fail in London. Until after the trials, I was not thinking of the Olympics but I had trained hard and I' m pleased it worked out," said Chepkirui, who does not turn 24 until August 20.

"I have represented the country twice at continental competitions. But the move to compete at the Africa Cross Country Championships (March in Cape Town) was an important motivator for me. I feared the Ethiopians would ruin my race. But after that performance I realised, I could take them on and now I want to extend the challenge to the track competition in London."

Cherono Koech, the 2010 World Junior silver medallist in 800m will also be making a first show in London. She replaced Winnie Chebet and will join hands with her mentors Olympic Champion Pamela Jelimo and former world titleholder Janeth Jepkosgei in the two-lap race.

Koech made her first senior debut in Kenyan colours in Daegu, South Korea last year where she was elbowed out of the finals by finishing fourth in the second semi final heat.

"It was a good experience to run at the World Championships in Daegu last year. I did not make the finals but got the experience and knowledge of how to run with the seniors," said Koech.

The 20-year-old athlete, who is being trained by former Olympic steeplechase silver medallist Patrick Sang, said her first target will be to navigate her way through the heats and make it to the finals.

"From there I will be able to focus on the medal podium and may be a silver will do." She said.

Javelin thrower Julius Yego will be the unlikely candidate in the field event as the first Kenyan in the games history. Well, filling the shoes his colleagues on track have set is like scaling Mt. Qomolangma, which he intends to take up in his strides to help widen the country' s medal scope.

The same will be to the relay team of novice runners Vincent Mumo, Alphas Kishoiyan, Vincent Kosgei and Boniface Mucheru. They will have Rudisha as their anchor, also making a debut at the games.

Their target is to reclaim the title Kenyan quartet of Charles Asati, Hezekiah Nyamao, Robert Ouko and the late Julius Sang-Olympic who won gold 40 years ago at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games.