Athletes need more than physical training

It is not for nothing that a week after the death of marathon champion Samuel Kamau Wanjiru the nation, and indeed the sporting world, are still reeling in shock from the sudden and tragic death of the young talent who trail blazed his way to fame when he won gold at the Summer Olympic games in Beijing in 2008.

Coming from obscurity and going on to become the first Kenyan to win an Olympic marathon gold, and the youngest runner since 1932 to achieve that feat, Wanjiru spectacularly announced to the world that a new track phenomenon had arrived.

Similar performances in Chicago and London would buttress this reality.

And whereas Kenyans may not have fully appreciated the greatness and recognition of Wanjiru as a track star, the world did.

The news of his death on the morning of May 16 was carried by all major news outlets around the world. No contemporary Kenyan, even in death, can claim this kind of coverage.

The conclusion for all this is that Wanjiru was a national asset who not only carried the national flag high but also played a great role in promoting the name of Kenya as a great sporting nation.

But when his success on the track is juxtaposed with his personal life and the circumstances of his death, it is clear that the sportsman was obviously on a path that would sooner or later compromise his career.

In many ways, Wanjiru was the typical successful Kenyan athlete. Most of them come from backgrounds of abject poverty. When they strike success and big money, they are poorly equipped to deal with the overnight transition from poor today, millionaire tomorrow and the attendant media attention.

Today there are many athletics medallists wasting away in debilitating poverty having squandered wealth won on the track, not because they were born extravagant but because they received little preparation and training to handle the megabucks when they were barely out of their teens.

As the nation mourns Wanjiru, it is important that the government, sports administrators and society in general ponder the sad realities surrounding our young sports talents.

In many parts of the world today, sports academies have developed training programmes that place great emphasis on financial management and self-discipline.

These countries have developed this integrated approach to sports training from experiences that have taught them that, without discipline, talent is useless; it will not only destroy the sportsman, but also bring untold suffering to his family.

In Kenya, it is critically urgent that we adopt this approach because, when our athletes succeed in the international arena, they become national treasures, boosting the country’s image abroad.

A good starting point is to reflect on how budding stars are recruited by foreign scouts and spirited away to far away countries. While this offers them better training and better exposure, their sponsors are obviously not interested in moulding them into strong characters.

When a 16-year-old gets pocket money to the tune of Sh50,000 a month without any guidance or skills in money handling, disaster can never be far away.

Clearly, there has to be greater accountability and responsibility on the part of the scouts and sponsors as well in providing essential skills to guide the young athletes.

Rethinking the future handling of our young talents should be fairly easy. We have successful athletes like Tecla Lorupe, Paul Tergat and Catherine Ndereba who continue to contribute to philanthropic causes long after they hung their boots.

These three great runners with many titles under their belts stand out because they have not only succeeded on the track, but have also led successful family and social lives. They are sterling role models. It might help tremendously to tap into their many talents to nurture upcoming talents.