Gathimba’s walk of fame, Cherotich’s judo debut Kenya highlights in Paris Olympics

Samuel Gathimba has had his fair share of Olympic disappointments. In his debut in 2016 at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, he was disqualified in the last 500 metres of the race owing to a confusion over the route.

And in the build-up to the last edition in Tokyo, Covid-19 and inadequate qualifying opportunities locked him out.

He will have a third bite of the cherry this morning when he lines up for the 20-kilometre race walk competition of the Paris Olympics, hoping it will be a third time lucky. Gathimba launches Kenya’s athletics programme at these Games from 2.30am local time Thursday (8.30am Kenyan time) at the Tracadero.

With a season’s best one hour, 28 minutes and six seconds, Gathimba, 36, is ranked 84th in the world and an outside contender for the medals.

The Kenyan’s personal best time is 1:1:18:23. Japan’s Koki Ikeda leads the rankings coming into Paris on 1:16:51, with China’s Jun Zhang (1:17:26), Italy’s Massimo Stano (1:17:26), Japan’s Ryo Hamanishi (1:17:42) and Brazil’s Caio Bonfim (1:17:44) closing the top five.

“I have learnt that there are times to go for medals and times to go for good time. If you don’t know what you are going for in a competition, it is likely you will miss all while looking for everything,” he said after the Commonwealth Games in 2018 where he won bronze in 1:19:51 behind Australian Dane Birdsmith (1:19:34) and Englishman Tom Bosworth (1:19:38).

But he is fired up in the French capital where he will compete just before another Kenya, Zeddy Cherotich, takes on Portugal’s Patricia Sampaio in the 78-kilogramme category’s round of 32.

“My preparations have been very good and we have barely rested since the season started, going for the marathon walk relays (in Dublin) after which we went to the African Championships and now the Olympics,” Gathimba said here as he wound up his training.

“We are adjusting the training according to the championship… the competition is obviously more intense at the Olympics.

“It gets quite hot here but we have adjusted,” said Gathimba who noted that he will be chasing the medals rather than time performances.

“If the medal comes, then the time will certainly be good. Though I’m targeting a time of 1:18:18 which is the time I want to beat.”

Besides the Commonwealth bronze in Gold Coast (2018) Gathimba also won bronze at the 2022 World Race Walking Team Championships before finishing fourth at the 2022 World Championships a few months later in Eugene, Oregon, USA.

He is a four-time African championships medallist (gold in 2016, 2018, 2022, silver in 2014); three-time African Games medallist (gold in 2019, silver in 2015 and 2024) and the first Kenyan to claim a race-walking medal at the Commonwealth Games (2018 bronze).

Across the city at the Champ-de-Mars Arena, Kericho-born Cherotich, 34, will be up against Sampaio, third on Mat Two.

The Kenya Defence Forces Sergeant is one of six “judo mothers” competing here alongside Kim Polling (Italy), Clarisse Agbegnenou (France), Jacqueline Solis (Guam) and Brazil’s Natasha Ferreira.

She is the first Kenyan woman to compete in judo at the Olympic Games.

“I want to be in the medals brackets,” she said, adding that the arrival of a Japanese coach at Kenya’s training camp has been beneficial.

“My preparations have been good… initially I was a bit nervous but now I’m OK,” she added, noting that the World Championships prepared her well for the Olympics.

David Busolo, Team Kenya’s judo coach, is equally happy with the preparations.

“This is so big for us – both for women and men. Qualifying for such an even is a big honour and shows that Kenya is full of talent.

“We are set to show that Kenya is ready to compete with the rest of the world in other sports.”

Kenya’s schedule Thursday:

08:30am: Samuel Gathimba (20km race walk);

11:00am: Zeddy Cherotich (Judo, 78km round of 32)