Gatlin in praise of self driven Yego, Omanyala in his farewell tour
Two-time world 100m champion Justin Gatlin wants to give upcoming sprinters a run for their money in Nairobi tomorrow in what appears to be his farewell tour.
For a superstar who has traversed the globe in the last 20-years, Gatlin is excited for finally making it to Kenya as the climax of it all, saying he is happy it finally came to Kenya which he views as his ‘motherland’.
“This is my first visit to Kenya. I have travelled the world a lot for over 20 years but I am so excited to be here. To run in the motherland of the great athletes is important for me,” he said Ahead of taking to Kasarani Stadium for the Saturday Kip Keino Classic meet, the man with 10 world medals at the world championships and five medals at the Olympics, singled out former world javelin champion Julius Yego and national 100m record holder Ferdinand Omanyala as self-driven individuals who have excelled in unfa- miliar territories.
The 2005 double gold med- allist at the world champion- ships disclosed that he has ad- miration for going against the tradition in a country mostly associated with Long distance running.
“ I have a bias for indi- viduals who are self-driven. Through Yego and Omanyala, Kenya is no longer about long distance, you have sprint- ers now and that is why I like Yego in javelin and Omanyala who has run 9.86. I think it shows this country can do other events as well and so I am proud of them and all the athletes here,” he said upon touching down at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport when he landed in Kenya for the first time on Thursday morning.
Gatlin who was accompanied by his coach Dennis Mitchell will compete in his final race of the season on Sat- urday while also continu- ing his recovery from a hamstring injury that saw him miss his fourth Olympics appearance.
