As at Sunday night, Yego was lying 29th in world rankings. The top 32 javelin throwers will automatically qualify for the Paris Olympics which will run from July 26 to August 11.
Yego’s ranking was due to improve last night since points from his performance at the June 21-26 Africa Athletics Championships in Cameroon, where he won a fifth continental title, had not been factored in.
Kenya’s 4×400 metres men’s relay team is also hoping to qualify through world ranking. They were placed 16th globally. The top 16 teams will be at the Olympics.
“We are keeping our fingers crossed for Yego and our relay team,” Mutuku said on Sunday.
More than 10,000 athletes representing 205 nations are expected in Paris, where they will compete in 41 sporting disciplines. Kenya will be represented in six disciplines, namely, athletics, rugby sevens, judo, fencing volleyball, and swimming.
Kenya was represented by 85 athletes in six disciplines at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games that were held in 2021 owing to Covid-19 pandemic.
“Kenya will for the first time be represented at the Olympics in fencing,” Mutuku said when giving an update to national federations on Sunday.
“We are aiming at having athletes who are 100 per cent clean in Paris,” Mutuku said in reference to zero tolerance to doping.
Mutuku said that Team Kenya’s ceremonial kit for the opening and closing ceremonies, sponsored by the government, will be unveiled this week.
The travel kit will be provided by team sponsors Tusker.
“NOC-K will also make available official Team Kenya merchandise locally and abroad,” said Mutuku.
This will be the first time that the national Olympics body will officially supply team merchandise to the retail market.
NOC-K has provided an elaborate training programme for various Kenyan athletes preparing for the Games.
Kenya’s national women’s volleyball team, Malkia Strikers, were scheduled to leave the country last night for the Philippines, where the squad will play in the Challenger Cup.
