Kenya eyes historic run at Glasgow Commonwealth Games

Kenyan athletes have set their sights on a record-breaking performance at the Commonwealth Games, scheduled for July 23 to August 2 in Glasgow, Scotland.

Legendary sprinter and sprints coach Elkana Nyang'au says Team Kenya is well prepared and focused on delivering a better performance than the previous edition held in Birmingham in 2022.

“We have prepared very well as a team, and we expect to do better than we did in Birmingham because this time we have a very strong team,” said Nyang’au.

World 800m champion Lilian Odira is among the athletes carrying Kenya’s medal hopes. Odira says she is in top form and targeting a podium finish, with plans to set a new personal best after sharpening her speed at the Prefontaine Classic.

She booked her place in Team Kenya after successfully defending her national title at the Nyayo National Stadium trials and recently posted a season-best 1:56.19 in Eugene, making her one of the leading contenders for gold in Glasgow.

“My expectation at the Commonwealth Games is to execute my plan from the preliminaries, make it to the final, and then see what comes out of it,” said Odira.

Her confidence is matched by 400m star Boniface Mweresa, who believes he is heading to Glasgow in better shape than before. Mweresa improved from a 45.4-second mark before the Birmingham Games to a personal best of 44.96, and now heads to Scotland with a season best of 44.5.

“My target is to win a medal in the individual race, and in the mixed relay, we hope to bring home gold,” said Mweresa.

Meanwhile, 400m runner George Mutinda says the team is motivated to challenge Commonwealth records, particularly in the men’s 4x400m relay.

“We are highly motivated. The coaches are giving us everything we need, and we are ready to break Commonwealth records and set new personal bests,” said Mutinda.

With preparations intensifying at Nyayo National Stadium, Team Kenya is confident of making Glasgow a memorable chapter in the country’s Commonwealth Games history.