In the quiet hills of Chepseon, Kericho County, a 11-year old, grade five girl is steadily building a name that could one day shine on the global athletics stage.
Lindah Chebet, a Grade Five pupil at Chepsir Primary School, has become the talk of her training camp for her talent, discipline, and ambition despite her tender age.
Guided by renowned coach Mathew Kemei, Chebet trains with older athletes in cross country and track sessions that would daunt many her age.
Yet, she approaches every stretch and stride with enthusiasm.
A recent photograph of her in training captured her character perfectly—bent in a deep stretch, arms reaching forward, neon-orange spikes bright against the grass, her face glowing with both innocence and determination.
Chebet has already tested herself beyond the playground, competing at the Kericho County cross country trials and later at the South Rift championships.
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Though, she did not finish among the medalists, her participation alone at just 11 years old turned heads.
Fellow athletes describe her as “fearless,” while her coach calls her progress “a promise of greater things to come.”
Her dream is clear: to one day don the red, green, and black of Team Kenya, board a plane, and represent her country on the world stage.
“I want to run for my parents, for my coach, for my school and my country,” she says with a smile, her words carrying both humility and determination.
Balancing athletics and academics has not been easy, but Chebet manages it with striking simplicity. It is not unusual to see her walking home with her exercise books in one hand and her spikes in the other.
For her, education and sport are two paths that must grow together.
Coach Kemei, who has nurtured many athletes at the grassroots level, believes Chebet embodies the future of Kenyan athletics. “She is disciplined, hardworking, and passionate. If she stays focused, she has what it takes to go far,” he says.
As she trains on the fields of Chepseon, every stride Lindah Chebet takes is more than a physical step, it is a step towards her dream, her family’s pride, and Kenya’s enduring legacy in athletics.
At just 11, she may be small in stature, but her ambitions are as vast as the tracks she hopes to conquer.
By Our reporter
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