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Kenya: Kimutai Prays for Better Show in Beijing
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The Nation (Nairobi)
20 July 2008
Posted to the web 21 July 2008
Sammy Kitula
Nairobi
Three days to his 38th birthday on August 16, David Kimutai will line up for his third attempt at the Olympic 20km men's walk in Beijing.
A veteran Olympian in a career that has spanned 13 years, Kimutai, a first born in a family of nine, featured in Atlanta and Sydney Games.
"I want to have a better performance at the Games this time round. I never managed to finish in the top ten in the other two events, but this time round, I will try my best," he said.
Nothing seems impossible for the walker. He is still going strong at 38, as he showed recently during the national trials, on his way to qualifying for the Games.
After losing the African 20 kilometre walk crown at the Africa Championships in Addis Ababa to Hatem Ghoula of Tunisia, Kimutai made a strong comeback, clocking 1:22.20.
"In Addis Ababa, I was injured, but I am now back. My aim is to win any of the three medals in the walk event in Beijing. I am also targeting improving my national record from 1:20:40 to 1:18.00," he said.
The Tunisian, who also won the gold in the last All Africa Games in Abuja in 2003, clocked a games record time of 1:22.33 for the title and is among challengers who are giving the Kenyan sleepless nights.
"I know that all top athletes are gearing to win the three medals, but I'm working hard to ensure that I come back home with a medal," he said.
Kimutai's home area has produced world-class runners but he has held his own in a discipline that few Kenyans are keen to take up.
"I tried to run while I was in high school until I settled for the 10,000m," he said. "But after some time, I realised that I had this talent in walk and that was the beginning on my story," he added.
The ten-time national 20km walk champion had fortunes turn for him in 1992 when he was selected to join the Armed Forces. He won his first national title in 1995 in a time of 1:25:00. This was after he won the Armed Forces Championships.
The following year, he improved his national time to 1:20:40 during the national championships, hence qualifying for the 1996 Olympics where he finished 23rd. This was to remain his personal best to date.
Kimutai has won all national titles since 1996 to date, save for 1997, when rival Julius Sawe (1:21:21) stole the show.
This year, he won the 30km road race at the Armed Forces Championships in January, before settling for silver at the Africa Athletics Championships at Addis.
Kenya's sole representative in the 2008 Beijing' Olympics challenged other walkers in the country to take the event seriously. Speaking on Saturday, Kimutai said there were great prospects of the country producing better walkers.
"Even though race walking is more difficult than regular running, I am sure we can go far if athletes became serious," said the father of two.
"I have inspired many athletes to take up the event," he said. "However, most find it hard to stay in the walk since it is hard and one has to persevere," he added.
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Kimutai regrets that there are very few locally organised walk events in Kenya. "Countries like Russia and Mexico have clubs and hold events every week, but that's not the case here," he said.
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