US-based Kenyan runner explains pain fueling him ahead of Commonwealth Games

US-based Kenyan long-distance runner Ishmael Rokitto believes the pain of narrowly missing a World Championships medal is the driving force behind his quest for Commonwealth Games glory.

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Rokitto heads into the Games in impressive form after winning the men's 10,000m at the national trials in 28:28.42 at Nyayo National Stadium to secure his place on Team Kenya. He will be hoping to end Kenya's 24-year wait for a men's 10,000m Commonwealth Games gold medal.

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The last Kenyan to win the event was Wilberforce Talel, who claimed gold in Manchester in 2002 while setting a Commonwealth Games record.

Since then, Uganda has dominated the race, winning every men's 10,000m title from 2006 onwards, with Daniel Simiu Ebenyo and Kibiwott Kandie settling for silver and bronze respectively at the 2022 edition.

For Rokitto, the motivation comes from his heartbreaking fourth-place finish at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, where he narrowly missed the podium after clocking 28:56.48 in the men's 10,000m final.

"Finishing fourth at last year's World Championships was very painful because I came so close to the podium. That disappointment has motivated both Edwin and me to work even harder so that this year we don't miss out on a medal," Rokitto said.

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He has enjoyed a breakthrough campaign across multiple events. Besides his strong World Championships showing, he finished fifth in the senior men's 10km race at the 2026 World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, USA, clocking 28:53 behind Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo.

The 21-year-old also finished fourth in the men's 5,000m in 13:18.68 before producing personal best performances on the Diamond League circuit.

Rokitto ran 7:29.31 to finish 10th in the historic 3,000m race at the Shanghai/Keqiao Diamond League, where 14 athletes broke the 7:30 barrier, before lowering his 5,000m best to 12:56.96 with an 11th-place finish at the Oslo Diamond League.

Despite already having his sights set on the Commonwealth Games, Rokitto says qualifying early for next year's World Championships has also become a major priority following the introduction of tougher qualifying standards.

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"Our preparations have been excellent. World Athletics has raised the qualification standards for the 5,000m and 10,000m to 12:50 and 26:48, respectively, making qualifying next year extremely competitive.

That's why we're pushing ourselves to run faster now so that we can secure qualification early," he said.

The distance specialist also credited his move to New Mexico, US, for the significant progress he has made over the past year, saying the training environment has elevated his performances on the international stage.

"Since I started training in (New) Mexico, I've improved significantly and recorded faster times in the 10,000m. The training environment has really helped me take my performance to another level," he added.

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