The Kenyan Under-20 team captains, Joyline Chepkemoi and Nehemiah Kipng’eno, are bullish that the 23-member squad has enough firepower to deliver a bumper medal haul when the World U20 Championships get underway tomorrow at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
Both captains will spearhead Kenya’s charge in the women’s and men’s 5,000m respectively, carrying the nation’s hopes in the distance events. Chepkemoi heads to Eugene armed with a wealth of championship experience.
She is the bronze medallist over 3,000m from the 2025 African U20 Championships in Abeokuta, Nigeria, where she clocked 8:49.48 to finish behind Uganda’s Bentalin Yeko (8:45.49) and Ethiopia’s Tirhas Gebrehiwet (8:48.98).
The 19-year-old also boasts valuable cross-country pedigree, having been part of the Kenyan junior women’s team that claimed silver at the 2023 World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, Australia, after tallying 18 points, tying with champions Ethiopia.
At the 2026 edition in Tallahassee, Florida, she stepped up to the senior ranks and was part of the Kenyan women’s team that bagged another silver medal with 36 points.
The promising distance prodigy says the squad has put in hard work and is ready for the Eugene assault as they chase a rich medal harvest. “We are well prepared to go for the medals in Eugene,” Chepkemoi said.
Kenya will be keen to improve on their medal hauls from Lima, Peru, in 2024 and Cali, Colombia, in 2022, where the nation finished fifth with seven medals and fourth with 10 medals respectively.
The last time Kenya topped the medal standings was on home soil in Nairobi in 2021 with 16 medals, having previously finished first in Tampere, Finland, in 2018 with 11 medals.
Chepkemoi believes the coaches have done their part and that the responsibility now rests with the athletes to rise to the occasion on the global stage. “We have all been in good health in camp, and we have been pushing ourselves. The coaches have also given us programmes that favour everyone.”
For Chepkemoi, the Eugene showdown carries extra significance as it will mark her final outing in the junior ranks. She hopes to bow out of the Under-20 category with a medal before transitioning to the senior circuit.
“This is going to be my last Under-20 Championships. I want to bring a medal from Eugene so that I can shift to the senior ranks in a good way,” she said.
As team captain, Chepkemoi says the atmosphere in camp is upbeat, with every athlete raring to go ahead of the global showpiece. “I have been talking to my fellow athletes, and they all say they are ready and focused for the competition.”
Her male counterpart, Kipng’eno, echoed those sentiments, expressing confidence that the squad is primed to deliver a strong performance.
“The coaches have been pushing us, and we are eager and ready to go. We expect good results in Eugene because we are all fit,” Kipng’eno said.
The 19-year-old is also relishing his maiden appearance in the Team Kenya singlet. “This is my first time making Team Kenya, and I am very happy to be representing the country.”
Meanwhile, Athletics Kenya youth development chairman Barnaba Korir is equally confident in the youthful squad. “The athletes are excited, and they have assured us they will do their best in Eugene.”
He, however, cautioned that the 23-member contingent will have to be at its absolute best to match the standard expected at the championships. “The World Championships are very competitive because every country goes into the competition ready,” he said.
The team’s head coach, Robert Ngisirei, singled out several nations Kenya must be wary of. “We expect tough competition from nations like Australia, the USA and the UK. So every athlete should be prepared psychologically,” he said.
Even so, Ngisirei remains optimistic that the team has what it takes to return home with an impressive medal haul. “We are ready to bring the nation medals.”
