By Athletics Kenya Media Team
Kenya’s junior battalion from the World Under-20 in Oregon returned to the country to a red-carpet reception at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Wednesday night, bringing home a rich harvest of medals and renewed optimism about the future of Kenyan athletics.
Team Kenya ended their World U20 campaign with a haul of 11 medals (four gold, three silver and four bronze), placing second on the medal table behind USA (24 medals) and as the highest-ranked African nation at the global junior showpiece.
Grabbing the headlines and captivating attention was newly minted World U20 1,500m champion Josephine Sembeyo Mancha, who was mobbed by hundreds of family members, friends and well-wishers from the Maa community.
Activities came to a standstill at the country’s largest airport, with songs and dancing filling the atmosphere as Sembeyo led the first batch of athletes back into the country after a fruitful campaign in the United States.
Josephine Sembeyo Mancha speaks on her World U20 1,500m gold medal
The 19-year-old described her historic gold-medal triumph as the result of meticulous mental and physical preparation, revealing that she had entered the championship fully aware of the fierce competition for the coveted title.
“I knew that everybody was angling for the gold medal and had prepared well for it. So, I had set my mind on winning the title and making the podium,” said the AIC Loitoktok Secondary School student.
Sembeyo scored a first for her Maa community, clocking 4:16.73 to cross the finish line first at the biennial competition at Hayward Field.
In doing so, the youngster quenched Kenya’s 5-year thirst for the women’s 1,500m title at the U20 level, since the country’s last victory came via Purity Chepkirui in Nairobi in 2021.
Also all smiles as he landed back in the motherland was newly crowned 5,000m champion Frankline Kibet. The 19-year-old clocked 13:28.27 to clinch Kenya’s first gold medal at the World U20 competition, setting the tone for what would become a bountiful medal hunt for the country. It was his second major title after winning the World Cross Country U20 title at this year’s championships in Tallahassee, United States, in January.
His success has whetted his appetite for more, with the youngster now setting his sights on next year’s World Championships and the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
“This is my last year competing in the junior ranks; from next year, I will transition to the senior ranks. I pray to God that I will be able to qualify for next year’s World Championships, as well as the Los Angeles Olympics. It is all about hard work and discipline,” the youngster said.
Joyline Chepkemoi shifts attention to senior athletics
Echoing her peer’s sentiments was women’s 5,000m bronze medallist Joyline Chepkemoi, who spoke of her hunger to transform her medal-laden career in the junior ranks into a successful senior chapter.
Despite being only 19, it feels like Chepkemoi has been an ever-present figure in the athletics landscape, flying the country’s flag high at various competitions, including the 2023 and 2026 World Cross Country Championships, the Africa Under-20 Championships, where she won bronze in the women’s 3,000m and the World Schools Cross Country Championships.
As she shifts her attention to the deep waters of senior athletics, Chepkemoi is confident of extending her blissful distance-running career and carrying her junior success onto the bigger stage.
“We want to follow in the footsteps of those who have come from the junior ranks and succeeded at the senior level. I don’t believe there should be any challenges in succeeding at the senior level. I have the self-belief to continue with what I have achieved so far at the senior level,” she said.
What Barnaba Korir said about Kenya’s performance at World U20 championship
Speaking at the same time, Athletics Kenya (AK) Youth Development sub-committee chair Barnaba Korir said the country’s latest success was no surprise, considering the work that has gone into nurturing the youngsters and polishing them into gems capable of shining on the global stage.
“I thank the government for the support towards the training camps that we have always set up during the holidays. We have seen that they are bearing fruit, as we can see from the performance of the youngsters,” Korir said.
Korir reiterated that the hard work has only just begun, with the focus now shifting towards ensuring the youngsters make a seamless transition into the senior ranks and do not dissipate into oblivion after their promising junior careers.
“We will follow up on them to prepare them well for the World Championships as well as the Los Angeles Olympics. We want to ensure they continue winning medals for the country and succeeding in their careers,” he said.
