Postponing World U20 a blow many athletes, says Zakayo
World U20 5,000m Champion Edward Zakayo believes the postponement of the Under-20 Championships that had been penciled for July 7-12 in Nairobi is likely to disadvantage a number of athletes.
The biennial World Championships are contested by athletes in the under 20 athletics age category who should be 19 years old or younger on December 31 in the year of the competition.
Zakayo winner from Tampere, Finland from two years ago says taking the Championships to 2021 will mean some athletes will be locked out on age grounds.
“I feel bad for athletes who have dedicated a lot of time to train in various camps across the country to prepare for the Games,” Zakayo told People Sport.
He added: “The age group championships are very important for upcoming athletes. As a former winner, I know exactly what I am talking about,”
Zakayo further urges athletes not to be discouraged by the current predicament but take positively because bigger things are in store.
“Your dreams have not been killed just that they have been postponed. We should all take it positively and continue to train though alone.
You might miss under 20 medal and end with Olympics or even world championships medal. We should leave all that to God,” he added.
Last week World Athletics, the Government of Kenya and Athletics Kenya reached an agreement to postpone the biennial championships, due to the challenges posed by the spread of the coronavirus.
