Nairobi — National champion for the women's 100m and 200m Esther Mbagari has urged her fellow female sprinters in the country to emulate the work ethic of Commonwealth Games 100m champion Ferdinand Omanyala.
Mbagari said Omanyala epitomises hard work, positivity and dedication to his craft -- two key ingredients that are integral to reaching the top level and winning medals at the international stage.
"What we need to have is morale and to believe that yes we can. If you have a negative mind in training, you cannot perform. You see someone like Omanyala, he has given himself to working hard in training and growing his craft. In everything he does -- be it eating or sleeping -- it is always centred on becoming a better sprinter," Mbagari said.
The 22-year-old said she has observed the African 100m champion closely and has been following in his footsteps as far as his mentality to training is concerned.
"As female sprinters, we need to espouse the same values as those of Omanyala so that we can also pick up as our male counterparts. As for me, I have learnt to be disciplined when it comes to training...when I go to sleep I know that tomorrow I need to be early in training. Whatever my coach says, I have to follow. If he says tomorrow I need to wake up for a morning run, that's exactly what I will do," she said.
Mbagari was hoping to qualify for August's World Championships in Budapest, Hungary but was unsuccessful in meeting the qualifying time after clocking 11.47 to win the women's 100m at the national trials.
However, she remains unfazed but rather focused on upcoming international assignments, including next year's Paris Olympics and the All Africa Games.
"My focus was on Budapest but we still have the Africa Games as well as the Paris Olympics. The trials will be in January and I want to prepare for them so I can qualify," Mbagari, who trains in Nairobi, said.
Part of her strategy in her preparations is to train in low altitude areas, which is more suitable for sprinters than an high altitude region like Nairobi or the Rift Valley.
"As sprinters, we don't need to do a lot of warm up in low altitude areas because our muscles are sharp. In the high altitude areas, you have to do a lot of warm up, which may exhaust all your energies that you would have used in sprinting," Kenya Prisons Service athlete said.
Mbagari added: "I prefer Mombasa...especially Mombasa because as you see it is a low altitude area. To train in such an environment is more suitable than in an area as this (Nairobi)."
