NAIROBI, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Commonwealth Games 800m champion Wycliffe Kinyamal of Kenya said Friday that winning the Africa Championships in August will be the best reward for him this season.
Kinyamal, 20, is keen to fit on the shoes of his mentor and Olympic Champion David Rudisha, setting the target of running fast time and winning the continental title to crown off the season that saw him start off with a bang winning the Club Games 800m gold in Gold Coast, Australia.
The Africa Athletics Championships will be held in Asaba, Nigeria in August, from which the best two athletes in each discipline will be selected to run at the IAAF World Cup in Ostrava, the Czech Republic in September.
However, he is aware of the pressure that is mounting for him to deliver gold starting with the Diamond League, which he will debut in Shanghai on Saturday.
"In this business, it is hard to be what everyone wants you to be. But slowly, you do one thing at a time and it piles up. After my win in the Commonwealth Games, people are talking about the Diamond League. Then it will be the Africa Championships," he said.
"The truth of the matter is, I would like to win the Africa Championships and maybe compete at my best potential for the Diamond League. But most important is to run fast time in Shanghai and see what next is on offer," he added.
Kinyamal holds a fast time of 1:43.94 and started off the season with a fast run of 1:45.11 in Gold Coast in April.
"I want to improve my personal best time in Shanghai. Running fast is the target then maybe getting to the podium. The challenge is always tough, but I don't want to put much expectation to myself," he added.
The Kenyan will launch his Diamond League hunt as the favorite in a race missing some notable names. The Shanghai meet record stands at 1:44.63 and Kinyamal is set his focus on beating it.
Standing in opposition will be Kinyamal's compatriot Jonathan Kitilit, the second fastest man in the world this year, and experienced Pole Marcin Lewandowski, the World Indoor 1,500m silver medallist in Birmingham in March.
World Indoor 800m silver medalist Drew Windle and his U.S. teammate Clayton Murphy, the 2016 Olympic bronze medallist, will also look to be in the mix.