Nairobi — After finishing his secondary school education at Mogonga PAG Secondary School in Kisii county, 18-year-old Elkanah Chemelil was all set for a career as a long-distance truck driver.
This was the path his father had envisioned for him and it seemed a case of when and not if he would be enrolled in a driving school in Nairobi.
Fast forward to Thursday, September 22, 2022, and the youngster is counting the hours before his flight departs at 4 am on Friday morning for the Southern France city of Miramas.
Alongside triple and long jumper Winnie Chepngetich, Chemelil is due for a residential camp training at the Miramas Athletics Club in readiness for next year's World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China.
The training camp is the product of a partnership between Athletics Kenya (AK) and Miramas Athletics Camp where promising sprinters and field athletes from the country are afforded a chance to train at a modern facility with modern equipment, under the keen eye of the most experienced coaches.
Chemelil, who specializes in the 400m, was one of 11 athletes who in April this year trained for a month in Miramas ahead of the World Under 20 Championships in Cali, Colombia.
The chance to return to the French city is one he describes as a dream-come-true.
Even though his athletics career is still in its infancy, Chemelil is already dreaming of riches and all for a good reason considering his humble background.
"In the next five years, I want to become a world champion as well as the Olympic. I have been watching past races and I have also been following the lifestyles of various sprinters. I admire them so much and how they eat off their sweat. Just like most of them, I want to become a millionaire and help out my parents back home," he says.
Chemelil adds: "They (parents) still live in a rental and my dream is to buy them a piece of land and build them their own house. I also have younger brothers and sisters who are still schooling and if God blesses me with wealth, then I will be able to pay their school fees."
Nomad from birth
A majority of Chemelil's life has been spent on the move, shifting from one place to another as his parents sought the best environment in which to raise the family.
Born in Elgeyo Marakwet county, it was not long before they moved to Moiben in Uasin Gishu county while Chemelil was in nursery school.
His old folks still reside in Moiben albeit for Chemelil, he had to spend much time away from them while in school.
His attained his primary education at Orutum Primary School in West Pokot county before transitioning to Tugen Estate Secondary School in Uasin Gishu county in Form one.
Later, he transferred to Mogonga PAG Secondary School where he reveals he first encountered Olympic and World 800m champion Emmanuel Korir.
"I remember him from the various secondary school competitions that brought us together. We were from different schools. Honestly, I never had him as someone who would later become the national 400m champion, let alone the World and Olympic titles. He has done great for himself and his achievements inspire me to reach the same levels," Chemelil says.
Apart from Korir, the youngster cites world and Olympic record holder Wayde van Niekerk of South Africa as his role model.
A father's dream
His father, determined to see his son become a long-distance truck driver, sent him to a friend in Ngong.
However, the fact that Ngong is a hub of athletes proved to be a blessing as it spurred on the youngster to pursue his athletics dream.
Chemelil's stay in Ngong brought him into contact with other athletes and the chance to grow his career through training sessions.
The senior Chemelil eventually saw the light and acknowledged that his son's destiny lay in sports and not behind the wheel of a long-chassis truck from Mombasa to Malaba.
"He had never grasped that I was a good runner with a lot of promise. Those who had watched me compete at the school level would often tell him that he had a son who was so talented in sprints and could go far with the right kind of support. After that, he would send me to Ngong to come and train during the school holidays," Chemelil, who also loves swimming, says.
With his father having aligned his dream to that of his son, Chemelil went full throttle in pursuit of glory on the track.
At the national trials for last year's World Under 20 Championship in Nairobi, he timed 47.22 to clinch the men's 400m and earn the right to fly the country's flag in the biennial competition, which was held on home soil at Moi Stadium, Kasarani.
At the global competition, Chemelil failed to make the final, timing 46.79 to finish third in Heat Three of the men's 400m.
The Cali cartel
The youngster had the chance to redeem himself for the previous year's underwhelming performance when he was selected as part of Team Kenya to this August's World Under 20 show in Cali, Colombia.
He went one step further into the semi-final where an eighth-place finish in a time of 48.03 put paid to his hopes of a place in the final.
Regardless, Chemelil says he picked valuable lessons from Colombia, which he is looking to implement during his training stint in Miramas.
"Things didn't go too well in Cali... my body totally refused to respond the way I expected it. I guess it was because I was fatigued after the long hours of travel from Nairobi. Either way, I learnt of the need to improve my running technique and improve on my strength and finishing," he says.
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As he docks in the familiar grounds of Miramas Athletics Club, Chemelil is hopeful of returning to Kenya a better sprinter, richer in knowledge and experience.
"The last time I went to Miramas, I came back and set a new personal best in the men's 400m during the national trials. This time I want to improve on my finishing and my technique in negotiating the bends because that has been one of my weaknesses," the youngster, who clocked a PB of 46.21 at the national trials in July, expounds.
Chemelil says he wants to learn French and add another language to his resume.
"It would be great to learn a new language. I hope to interact with people there and learn new things, beyond the track and field. I don't think the weather will be a problem because I was there last time and think I have adapted to it," he explains.
As Oscar award winner Lupita Nyong'o said, "all dreams are valid;" Chemelil's journey so far is indicative of a youngster determined to see his aspirations become reality.
As he embarks on his latest French sojourn, tous mes vœux (all the best).
