Clinton Aluvi is setting his sights on the global stage after making history as the first Kenyan to win gold in the men’s 100m at the African Under-20 Championships.
The 19-year-old sprint sensation clocked 10.45 seconds to storm to victory at the continental event in Abeokuta, Nigeria, marking a milestone moment for Kenya in sprinting.
South Africa’s Karabo Letebele took silver in 10.54 seconds, while Nigeria’s Caleb John claimed bronze with a time of 10.61. Aluvi, buoyed by his record-setting achievement, believes this triumph is only the beginning of his sprinting career.
“Going forward, I know I will be representing Kenya in major competitions,” Aluvi said upon his arrival at JKIA on Tuesday.
The Utawala Sprints Club athlete is already preparing for his next challenge, having been named to Kenya’s 4x100m relay team for the Tokyo World Championships. He will line up alongside Africa’s fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala, as well as Steve Odhiambo, Meshack Babu, Mark Otieno, Dennis Mwai and Isaac Omurwa.
Reflecting on his debut on the international stage, Aluvi credited his success to the belief of his coaches and teammates. “It was my first time representing Kenya at a major competition and I thank God for the performance I was able to deliver,” he said.
“The coaches believed I would deliver, and I am thankful for that. My team, Utawala Sprints Club, also gave me a lot of motivation,” Aluvi added, praising Omanyala for inspiring the team during their residential camp at Moi Stadium, Kasarani.
“Omanyala also encouraged us a lot. He came to our residential camp and gave us motivation, which was very crucial,” he said.
Team Kenya secured an impressive 34 medals in Nigeria, including 13 gold, 12 silver and nine bronze. Aluvi urged Athletics Kenya to boost support for women sprinters, highlighting the low representation in the sport.
“In sprints, we are coming up well. I hope the federation can support us more, especially the female sprinters, because we don’t have many in the country,” he said. He admitted the only challenge in Nigeria was adjusting to the spicy local cuisine.
“The only challenge was the food; it was very spicy, but we spoke to the coaches and adjustments were made,” Aluvi noted.
Athletics Kenya Youth Secretary Joseph Ilovi praised the sprinters’ achievements, calling it a sign of a brighter future. “We are waking up in terms of sprints. We were able to get four medals from the Championships, which is very positive,” he said. “We have a bright future ahead in the sprints.”
Beyond Aluvi’s 100m gold, Brian Okoth earned bronze in the U20 200m (21.32), while in the U18 category, Simeon Araka claimed 400m gold (47.46) and Robert Sang secured bronze (47.89).
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