Kenya-born athlete Winfred Yavi presents her gold medal to King of Bahrain

She added, “The competition was tough. You know, here in Kenya, we have many athletes, and even getting a spot on the Kenyan team is hard. They might select only two people, so if you finish second or fourth, you miss out. I was ready, but I kept missing the chance.”

The athlete revealed that in 2016, she finished third in the trials for international youth competitions, but only the top two athletes were selected to represent the country.

“I had worked hard and put in a lot of effort, so when the opportunity to move to Bahrain came, I took it. It became the top priority,” she said.

Yavi also disclosed that to get the opportunity to go to Bahrain, she was connected by a Kenyan involved in the sports industry.

“My parents agreed, and my coach also agreed and took me there,” she said.

The 24-year-old athlete confirmed that in addition to representing Bahrain in athletics, she also holds citizenship of the Asian country.

However, she noted that the decision to change nationality stirred strong emotions and negative reactions, especially from friends.

“It brought a lot of negativity. People questioned how sure I was that I would go there and run well. It was tough. Everyone had different things to say. Some said I shouldn’t go, that I would get hurt. My parents and I had discussions, sat down with the coach and others. We came together and agreed,” she said.

Yavi said that despite having Bahraini citizenship, she often stays in Kenya because of the favorable weather for training.