Kenya’s athletics talent factory not about to close up shop
Sheila Chelangat (second left) from Kenya Police Service leads the pack in the senior women's 10km race during Athletics Kenya/Lotto National Cross Country Championships at the Ngong Racecourse on February 13, 2021.
What you need to know:
- We are under no illusion that the hard work begins now; becoming a world cross country giant is easy but maintaining an iron grip on the throne is no walk in the park. Many other countries are enviously eyeing this crown and are working hard to snatch it from us.
- With the plans AK and other stakeholders have in place for athletes — both upcoming and elite — these pretenders to the throne have a lot to do before their dreams materialise.
The just concluded National Cross Country Championship was, to say the least, the best in recent memory.
In hindsight, the Covid-19 pandemic was a blessing in disguis to the championships that were also trials for the Africa Cross Country Championships.
They say, “you never know what you have until it’s gone”, and considering the hunger and passion exhibited by the approximately 300 athletes at the muddy and wet Ngong Racecourse terrain, it seems many of them had missed the exhilarating feeling of being on the track.
The intriguing story-lines before the event and the twist and turns thereafter can only be matched by the 1999 World Cross Country Championships in Belfast, Ireland where Paul Tergat won his fifth consecutive world title.
For anyone who may have not made it to the venue, this comparison is evidence of the world class competition on display as most athletes battled tooth and nail to make up for a lost year, where the pandemic halted many activities.
It seemed as if God had heard our prayers for a memorable event and opened up the skies the night before, leaving behind a treacherous course to add to the cut-throat competition.
The course was no respecter of reputation or titles as was attested to by many athletes who found the huge puddles of muddy water too hot to handle — never mind the chilly weather.
In my later years, it will be an honour to recount to our great grandchildren the to-and-fro battle between Rodgers Kwemoi, Mike Kibet and Kibiwott Kandie for the first position before Kwemoi took the lead for keeps in the last lap.
Also unforgettable was the intense battle in the senior women’s 10km race between defending champion Sheila Chelangat and Daisy Cherotich.
So exhausted were the two that they collapsed at the finish line having pushed themselves to the limit in pursuit of glory.
Above all, what fills me with hope for the future are the junior athletes in the under-18 and under-20 categories who curtain-raised the event with virtuoso performances.
Despite the huge responsibility of setting the tone for the championships being put on their young shoulders, the youngsters duly delivered, displaying maturity and determination beyond their years.
With a little fine-tuning —as Athletics Kenya is currently doing —the country can rest easy in the knowledge that Kenyan athletics talent factory is not about to shut shop.
As we savour the best National Cross Country Championships in recent memory, our minds as the athletics fraternity is laser-focused on the upcoming Africa Cross Country Championships in Lome, Togo.
We are under no illusion that the hard work begins now; becoming a world cross country giant is easy but maintaining an iron grip on the throne is no walk in the park. Many other countries are enviously eyeing this crown and are working hard to snatch it from us.
With the plans AK and other stakeholders have in place for athletes — both upcoming and elite — these pretenders to the throne have a lot to do before their dreams materialise.
