Race walker Wanyonyi ready to defend World Under-20 title after punching Cali ticket

World Under-20 10,000m walking race champion Heristone Wanyonyi was a cut above the rest of the field as he braved the chilly Nairobi weather to book a ticket to Cali, Colombia where he is set to defend his title. 

In the opening event of the two-day Athletics Kenya (AK) trials to the World Junior event set for 1 to 6 August, Wanyonyi clocked 43:16.1to hit the qualification time for the showpiece. 

Only five of the six entrants got to the finish line with Stephen Ndankili finishing behind his training partner, Wanyonyi, in 44:16.3. Dominic Mwenda timed 45:53.0 to complete the podium places. 

"I am happy for this win. I had trained well alongside Ndankili who has been pushing me alot on all fronts. The weather was not favourable but I had to brave it for this win. 

I am more than ready to defend my title next month. I have been following on the progress of my competitors from other parts of the world and nobody has posted better times than me," said Wanyonyi. 

The youngster says competing on track remains his favourite race as opposed to the road races, adding that having recovered from an injury picked in Mauritius, he is ready to push for the title in Cali. 

"I have been training for the longer 20km races in anticipation of the African championship so I have to focus on speed work for the track race now. 

In Mauritius I was unable to finish after suffering a muscle cramp in 15km on my right leg. I have picked enough experience since winning last year's championship and i am confident of a good show in Cali," added the Gabriel Otwane-coached athlete.