20 Nov 2016

Botswana 800 metre ace runner, Nijel Amos has vowed to pull a very good performance in the coming season, hence he is training in Kenya with top athletes.

Amos had a very rough season, and Batswana had very high  hopes that the 2012 Olympic silver medallist will this time deliver the first ever gold Olympic medal in Rio but that was not to be, as he was eliminated in the heat.

Next season, Nijel will have a busy season given that he will participate in major competitions amongst them Botswana Athletics Association national championships, Bahamas World Relay, IAAF Diamond

League and World Championships pencilled for London in August.

Nijel who is training with Kenya's 1 500 m specialist, Asbel Kiprop said in an interview that   his goal for next season was to do well at the World champs and dominate Diamond League races.

He said the reason he started his training season early was the fact that next season, he aims to record good and fast times.

“With good preparation, I know I can clock very impressive times. As you   know last season, I had a rough time struggling with injuries,but I am happy that  the doctors in Italy managed to assist, now I am free from pains,” he said.

He said he chose to train in Kenya because they were currently conducting a build-up season.

Further, he said Kenya was the best for him because of the high altitude.

“Again, I like it here because I am training with best athletes like Asbel Kiprop. We have everything that an athlete needs to go through everyday,” he said.

Nijel who has just parted ways with his coach Jean Verster said he would be in Kenya until Christmas and he will come home for a short rest.

It is then that he will decide whether to stay fulltime in Kenya or go to America to join Oregon track club to work with Coach Mark Rowland.

Concerning Vester, Nijel said he had a great time with his coach and he has  achieved a lot under his guidance, given that he won championships, two Diamond League trophies and clocked most of his fastest time a under the tutelage of  Vester.

Kiprop said he was happy to train with ‘the great Amos Nijel’ given than the athlete had great talent in the 800m than any other athlete to ever exist in the world.

He said Amos was not just an ordinary athlete because he was the only athlete to had beaten his country man, David Rudisha many times than any other athlete in the 800m event.

“Not only that, he is the only athlete to beat Rudisha many times. Again in 2012 he managed to run the World Junior record of 1:41.73 the third fastest human in history of 800m.

The fact is being an athlete born and raised in a low altitude natural environment makes him great without altitude benefits. Trust me, if he will train in favourable high altitude places, there is no doubt that he will be the greatest,” he said. ENDS