Bubble training for Team Kenya for Worlds, Commonwealth

Team Kenya athletes who will compete in the 2022 World Athletics Championships, and the 2022 Commonwealth Games will immediately enter a bubble training camp at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani.

Speaking on the second and final day of the Kenyan trials for the two championships, Athletics Kenya’s Director for Youth and Development Barnaba Korir said both teams will enter a bubble camp immediately after the trials.

“With the increasing cases of Covid-19 cases locally, we want to take every caution to ensure all the athletes are fine,” Korir said.

“We are working together with the National Olympics Committee of Kenya to have both teams in a bubble camp, very much the same way we did before the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.”

Korir was impressed with the level of athletics talent on display.

“We have seen some fine performances here. If the athletes maintain the same form, we will see very good performances in forthcoming championships,” he said in reference to Nicholas Kimeli and Jacob Krop who posted impressive times in men’s 5,000 metres final on Friday.

Kimeli won in 12 minutes, 46.33 seconds, followed by Krop in 12:46.39 and third-placed Daniel Simiu in 12:55.88.

On June 9, Kemeli timed 12:46.33 to win men’s 5,000m race in Rome Diamond League meeting, followed by Krop in 12:46.79. Kimeli’s time from Rome makes him the athlete with the fastest time this season over 5,000m.

Kimeli, Krop and Simiu all made the Kenyan team for the World Athletics Championships which will be held from July 14 to 24 in Eugene, Oregon in the United States of America.

The Commonwealth Games will be held from July 28 to August 8 in Birmingham, England. Kenya will send a team of 47 athletes to Oregon, and 46 athletes to Birmingham.

On Thursday,  NOC-K’s First Deputy President Shadrack Maluki had said it was important that the athletes train in a bubble owing to a spike in Covid-19 cases locally.

Maluki was speaking when he presented some of the Team Kenya athletes to Birmingham with a training kit from their sponsor Nike at their training bases.

He encouraged the athletes to continue working hard so as to realise their targets.

“We not only want the athletes to stay healthy but also provide them with tools of the trade to help them prepare adequately for the games,” Maluki said.

General Team Manager Evans Bosire said coaches are taking all the necessary precaution to ensure Covid-19 protocols are adhered to in order to avoid putting athletes at risk of infection.

"We had athletes training in various camps in the country, but we ensured that they undergo the tests every week. These are some of the measures we have put in place to safeguard the well-being of our athletes,” said Bosire.

Kenya’s boxing, cycling, judo, wrestling, weightlifting, men and women’s 3x3 basketball, wheelchair basketball, para athletics, powerlifting and para cycling teams are already in training camp ahead of the Commonwealth Games. Others are men’s sevens rugby and triathlon.

Bowling, squash, swimming, beach volleyball, table tennis and badminton teams are training in satellite camps.