Top Kenyan Athletes Get The ANOCA Scholarships
Written by Ciryan Achola on October 5, 2022
Team Kenya has been accorded a massive boost by the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa, ANOCA, as we near the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Ferdinand Omanyala, Samuel Simwoto, Nicholas Kimeli, Jacob Krop, Beatrice Chebet, Margaret Chelimo and Abel Kipsang will start receiving a monthly scholarship of $1000 to aid in their preparations for the Olympics. The athletes will receive this fund until August 2024.
According to the ANOCA, the funds are meant to assist in ‘upgrading the sporting and human level of our athletes’ so that African athletes go to Paris ready to face competitors from other continents. The grant includes the services of a specialized coach, equipment, training at home or abroad, regular medical assistance and follow-up, among others.
The Commonwealth Games 100m champion Ferdinand Omanyala termed this as the ‘perfect gift’ as focus shifts to the Olympics.
“My goal is to win the 100 meters at the Olympics come 2024 and this support comes in handy. I believe it will go a long way in helping me perform even better in the Olympics since we have less than 2 years to go.” Omanyala remarked.
“Having the World Championships coming up in a year, this will be a confidence booster and I believe it’s going to be good,” he added.
Omanyala
Ranked world number 7, Omanyala holds the 100m African and National record with an impressive time of 9.77 seconds.
NOC-K President, Paul Tergat, said that out of the 101 athletes considered for the grant, only 7 got it as a result of their consistency and the excellent results they have recently registered. He also thanked ANOCA’s leadership headed by Mustapha Berraf, for their continued support of athletes in the continent.
The ANOCA athlete support program looks out for the top athletes in the continent through their individual National Olympic Committees.