Paris Olympics: Gathimba walking to global glory

Missing out on the Tokyo Olympics served as motivation for Africa walking race silver medalist Samuel Gathimba to qualify for the Paris Games.

As he makes a return to the Summer Games, lining up against a global field when the athletics program gets underway on 1 August, experience will be crucial for the 36-year-old sole Kenyan representative in the discipline.

The Walk Racing Team Championships bronze medalist from 2022 when the competition was hosted in Muscat, Oman is keen to return to the podium of a global event.

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In 2022, the three-time 20km African walking race champion became a world medalist.

He anchored the Kenyan team as they made their debut at the championships, withstanding stiff competition to finish third and deliver the country's first-ever medal at the event.

Born on 26 October 1987 in Nyeri County, Gathimba emerged at the international level in 2014, taking a silver medal at the 2014 African Championships in Athletics behind Lebogang Shange of South Africa.

He again demonstrated his place among the continent's best at the 2015 African Games where he lost out on the gold to Shange by a margin of one second.

The 2016 season proved to be a breakthrough for Gathimba. At the 2016 African Championships, he finally became a continental champion, winning in a championship record of 1:19:24 which was also a Kenyan record.

He has since been a constant figure on the continental podium. 

“The experience I gained in Rio 2016 combined with all the African championships I have been to will play a critical role in my performance on 1 August. I believe I have what it takes to deliver in a major world event,” Gathimba said before Team Kenya’s departure to France.

He clinched the 20km race walk title at the 2018 African Championships in Asaba, Nigeria, clocking 1:25:14, and secured the African title in 2019 in Rabat, Morocco, with a time of 1:22:48.

At the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, Gathimba placed fourth (1:19:25), narrowly missing out on the podium. He placed ninth during last year’s edition in Budapest, Hungary, with a time of 1:18:34.

His accolades also include a bronze medal at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in Australia (1:19:51), where he trailed Australia’s Dane Bird-Smith (1:19:34) and England’s Tom Bosworth (1:19:38).

Earlier this year, he won silver at the African Games in Accra, Ghana (1:28:06), just behind Ethiopia’s Wakuma Misgana (1:28:05).

“Training has been good and I am physically and mentally prepared to do my best in Paris. I know the toughest competition will come from Japanese and Chinese athletes but I believe, if I stick to my game plan, I could beat them and be on the podium,” Gathimba added.