The Return of Kenya’s 100m Star

Kenya's track star Mark Otieno still believes that he will represent the country at the Olympics. The 30-year-old's suspension from athletics expires on July 31, 2023, after about 3 years in the cold. Just before the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, Otieno tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid methasterone. During this period, Otieno picked up his broken pieces and focused on both his mental and his physical wellbeing. At the moment, Kenya is preparing for the Commonwealth Games, followed by the big one, the Paris Olympics.  

Otieno is salivating at the prospect of donning the national colors in the immediate or near future and said, " I want to achieve what I have been dreaming. I have been dreaming about being an Olympic champion and picking from where I left. 2024 is an Olympic year and I am looking forward to it." He expressed this while being interviewed on the SPORTS 360 show on Look Up TV (Kenya) this week.  

Otieno represented Kenya at the 2017 World Athletics Championships in London where he failed to reach the semi-finals, however, he believes that he is still at his prime:  

"Age is not a factor. Even at 35 years old, Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is doing much better. If you look at Marie-Josee Ta Lou of Cote d'Ivoire, she is doing much better and she is 34. American Justin Gatlin, if you look at the age of 30 to 35, after his comeback, he ran much faster than before. I haven't reached my peak yet and I am very confident about my upcoming competitions."  

The athletics calendar is jam-packed and for the better part of this year, Moi International Sports Center Kasarani has been Otieno's second home, "I have been training; I had two choices, one is to sit down and pity myself. And two, to put myself together and know what's coming up ahead and have that leap of faith. So, I have been training knowing that this thing will end."  

The three years off the track have not been a walk in the park for Otieno, who says credit goes to his inner circle for boosting his mental strength. Consultant Psychologist at Nairobi Health Services, Tobias Fidel says, " A lot of players, athletes undergo such situations, and nobody asks how they are doing. It is very key to consider mental health programs in any sport, because these players have a life outside the pitch or track, and they undergo a lot of issues."  

That life outside the track has not been a bed of roses for Otieno, however, he has handed himself 10 years to achieve his dream and prove the doubting Thomas wrong, as he explains below:  

"I am grateful for the messages I have been receiving on my social media platforms. 95% of the people who reached out said positive things. I also received texts from people encouraging me to keep the faith and focus on my comeback. I felt drained when it was taking long. I was asking myself a lot of questions on why it is taking long. The good thing is that I do like reading the Bible and I do have a supportive wife."  

The strength of a woman cannot be ignored in the pursuit of mental strength and Otieno knows this firsthand, " My wife is my best friend. We went through this journey together. When I failed the doping test, she also failed hers. This made us bond even more because we needed each other during this phase. In fact, it made our marriage even stronger. I thank God for her, I appreciate her every day and this makes me look forward to returning on the track."  

As much as Otieno has had the privilege of supportive family and friends, there is still need for athletes and players in any field to seek professional guidance, " I will urge the teams, the coaches, those in charge to include sessions where athletes and players can come and interact away from the pitch, where they can talk about issues outside the sport that they are going through. However, when issues persist, it is advisable to seek professional help", says Psychologist Fidel.  

Track star Mark Otieno is indeed back in circulation after thorough panel beating, and he says he derives his motivation from Africa's 100m superstar Ferdinand Omanyala and multiple record-breaker Faith Kipyegon.