Kenya’s Clinton Owatinya made history on Thursday night at the MKO Abiola Stadium, Kuto, in Abeokuta at the Confederation of Africa Athletics (CAA) U-18/U-20 Championship, winning gold in the U-20 100m final.

Owatinya became the first Kenyan to ever do so in the U-20 event, clocking a time of 10.42 s as he shoved aside strong competition from Letebele Karabo of South Africa in second place and Nigeria’s John Caleb in third place.

In an exclusive interview after the race, the Kenyan expressed deep excitement, emphasizing that that he has made his country very proud, adding that his victory reaffirms Kenya’s dominance in African athletics

He said, “I feel great that I have brought a medal back home and proven to Africans that Kenyans are coming really fast in the sprints.

“It’s really nice since I started with a personal best in the semi-finals; I thank the Lord for that. In the finals, even though I couldn’t put in my personal best, I thank the Lord that I brought a medal back home.”

He explained that it was not an easy win for him, as he faced the very best of African sprinters.

Owatinya explained, “The other runners have really tried, and they are really pushing. South Africans are another powerhouse, but we have proven to them that Kenya is the pride of African athletics. Nigeria also tried, but again, not enough to stop Kenya.”

He added that this is just the beginning for him and that his big goal is to hoist the flag of Kenya at the Olympics.

“In the next two or three years I see myself in the Olympics, and I know that when I make it to the Olympics, I’d try my best to prove to the world that Kenya is the pride of African athletics,” he concluded.