This archive report was first published on 22 December 2019.
Mogonga High School: Unleashing Kenya's Sprint Potential ¶
Located 19 kilometers from Keroka town and 36 kilometers from Kisii town, Mogonga High School has established itself as a breeding ground for Kenya's sprint talents.
Started in 2011, the school's athletics camp has produced household names in sprints, including national 400m champion Mary Moraa and African Games 400m hurdles champion Vanice Kerubo.
According to school principal-cum-coach Haron Onchong'a, the camp was formed to address the dwindling standards of athletics in the Nyanza region.
"We sat down with coach Valentine Orare and decided to set up this camp to unlock the untapped potential of our region," Onchong'a explained.
The camp faced early struggles but started yielding fruits in 2014, with students competing at the national levels.
It was in 2017 that the camp's star shone brightest, sending nine athletes to the national team for the World Under-18 Championships held in Nairobi.
Among the athletes sent to the championships were Moraa, Elijah Mathew, Dominic Ndingiti, and David Saruni, who was team Kenya's captain at the global event.
With the World Under-20 championships drawing closer, Onchong'a is hoping to produce at least 10 athletes in the national team.
