A 21-year-old Kenyan athlete has been awarded a highly coveted scholarship to study in Japan.
Victor Kimutai, a budding runner from Kericho County won a fully funded scholarship at the University of Josai, Japan, owing to his prowess in athletics.
He is a seasoned athlete at Gariete Athletics Training Camp, won the scholarship after putting out an outstanding performance in the sport.
Kimutai's head coach, Gabriel Kiptanui revealed that he was spotted during Athletics Kenya (AK) pre-trials held at Nyayo stadium, Nairobi in 2020.
"In 2020 during the AK pre-trials to select candidates for the World Athletics Under 20 Championships, he won the 5,000 metres first trials having a personal best time of 13:42 and caught the eye of top athletics coaches and managers,” the head coach stated.
His coach expressed confidence that Kimutai, who is currently the best upcoming athlete in the training camp, has the potential to become a top athlete at the international level.
Speaking to a local media outlet, Kiptanui narrated his athletics journey. He stated that his journey began in primary school and had represented both in primary and secondary schools in competitions.
He represented my school in the Tanzania Mwanza Half Marathon where I emerged position three, "Kimutai revealed.
However, he did not meet the required grade to join the university as he scored a mean grade of D plus when he sat his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exam in 2019. Kimutai knew that joining the university as a self-sponsored student would be a near impossibility as he came from a family of six that could barely make ends meet.
"Having come from a poor family where everything was a struggle, I promise not to let my family, my coach, my Gariete training camp athletics team and my university down," the athlete reiterated.
Kimutai then decided to fully focus on his talent and signed with coach Gabriel the same year. His first shot was the National Cross-Country Championships at Ngong Race Course held in February 2021 where he emerged position 16 in the 10,000m competition.
His first international race will be the Ekiden Half-Marathon trials in Japan in October which will be followed by the main race in December 2021.
Kimutai, who will be taking an undergraduate course in Farm Management, is expected to begin his study in September 2021. He hopes that one day he will feature in international competitions.
In July 2021, Dennis Cheruiyot, a Form Three student who went viral after being captured running to school alongside professional athletes, saw his dreams come true after a foreign coach took him under his wing.
As if fate was not done with him, billionaire businessman Buzeki Kiprop has resolved to clear Cheruiyot's school fees for his final year of studies in August 2021.
