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Kwame Karangwa is one of the exceptional and fast-growing talents in national athletics, particularly on the track and field field.
Despite not being able to train as he wanted due to Covid-19 restrictions, the 18-year-old finished second in the junior men’s 100-meter category at this year’s national championships, a performance that further cemented his status as a sprint superstar.
It ticked 12 seconds and 16 microseconds, less than a second short of the national record of 11 seconds and 35 microseconds. Sadjatty Tuyishime used 12 seconds to find gold.
Born in South Africa to Rwandan parents in 2002, Karangwa began his athletics journey about 5 years ago while studying in Kenya.
“I started with my school team about five years ago,” he said during an exclusive interview with Weekend Sport on Wednesday.
“The coaches taught me the fundamentals and dynamics of athletics, that’s how my journey started. Then I continued to work hard and get better and better.”
Joining the national team
His first commitment to the national team came in 2018 when he participated in the qualifiers for the Youth Olympic Games that took place in Algeria. But, despite not qualifying, Karangwa says it was a learning curve for him.
“I really didn’t do well, it was my international debut and I competed against experienced athletes. It was a good experience for me,” he recalls.
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In total, he has competed in about 25 competitions; four with the national team and 21 with his Kenyan school. Of all these, he says, the most memorable was the participation in the ANOCA Zone V Youth Games held in Huye, Southern Province, last year.
“I enjoyed competing against the best in the East African region, especially runners from Egypt and Ethiopia.”
Another, he added, was at his school, where I finished first and set a new high jump and throw record. “From then on, I thought I wanted to keep breaking more records.”
Going forward, Karangwa emphasizes, her goal is to ‘keep improving than the day before’ and improve her own personal records.
When asked about the challenges she faces in her athletic career, Karangwa highlighted that sports and school are her biggest challenge, but she hopes that since she is in her senior year of high school, she will find more time to focus on athletics.
“It is difficult to balance training and studies, especially since we are now studying online, due to the coronavirus pandemic, and we have different time zones.”
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