Sprinter Mark Otieno gears up to live Olympics dream
For Mark Otieno, the Tokyo Olympics Games is a dream come true.
The 28-year-old athlete defied the odds by using borrowed shoes to finish second in the Olympic trials held at Kasarani in June, making the cut to the country’s team that is set to participate in the global showpiece starting July 23.
His challenges will, however, be a thing of the past after tech giant Safaricom unveiled Kes 1 million sponsorship for Otieno’s Olympics campaign.
The 100m sprinter will now have access to the best quality shoes as part of the sponsorship deal which will also support his training needs and cover his logistics to allow him attend other competitions.
“I want to thank Safaricom for seeing my potential and believing in me. It has always been my dream to compete in the Olympics and having the biggest company in the country backing me has boosted my own confidence and I am determined to do my best in Tokyo. It has not been easy, due to lack of resources, but it has been worth every effort to get to this stage where I have the honour of representing my country at the biggest sporting event,” said Otieno.
Read also: Finally, Euro 2020 trophy goes to Rome, Italy
Last week, Safaricom rolled out Kes 20 million support for Kenya’s Olympics team.
The sponsorship has been set aside for the ceremonial kit that will be used by the Kenyan contingent during the games.
“We are known for our pedigree of middle and long-distance runners having won majority of our Olympic medals in these races. However, as a company that believes in going beyond to achieve one’s dreams, we were really inspired by Mark’s story and how he has gone beyond to reach his goal of representing Kenya in the 100m race. We hope that his exploits motivate a new generation of young people who will be inspired to represent Kenya in short distance races,” said Peter Ndegwa, CEO- Safaricom.
In 2015, Mark clocked a hand-timed 10.11 seconds to finish second in the Kenyan trials for the World Championships in Beijing and the following year he dropped his official best to 10.39 seconds to finish second at the Kenyan championships.
His breakthrough came in 2017 when he clocked the Kenyan record of 10.14 seconds to win the national 100m title in Nairobi, which booked him a spot at the 2017 World Championships. In his sole 100m race in 2020, he clocked 10.27 seconds.
The 2020 Summer Olympic Games were postponed last year because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
This year, Kenya is expected to take over 80 athletes to the Olympics who will compete in Athletics Boxing, Rugby Sevens, Taekwondo and Volleyball.
In the Athletics category, Team Kenya will be represented by world record holders Eliud Kipchoge and Brigid Kosgei.
The rest of the track and field team was officially announced in June and includes Olympic medalists Hellen Obiri (women’s 10,000m), Julius Yego (men’s javelin throw), and the reigning middle-distance champion Faith Kipyegon.
Also, among the Olympians will be Ferdinand Omanyala who also qualified in the 100m with 10.02 seconds, a new national record.
