Athletes made us proud

Elijah Manangoi (left) congratulates Asbel Kiprop after he won the men's 1500m at the 2015 IAAF World Championships in Beijing on August 30, 2015. PHOTO | OLIVIER MORIN |

What you need to know:

  • The performance now gives the country a good launching pad ahead of the 2016 Olympics.

Kenyan athletes once again proved their mettle on Sunday when they handed the country its maiden overall title at the World Championships in Beijing, China.

Winning 16 medals; seven gold, six silver and three bronze from the 15th edition of the Championships, flooring heavyweights USA and Jamaica, was a great achievement.

Vivian Cheruiyot (10,000), David Rudisha (800m), Ezekiel Kemboi (3,000m steeplechase), Hyvin Kiyeng (3,000m steeplechase), Asbel Kiprop (1,500m) won their respective races.

However, the victories by Julius Yego (Javelin) and Nicholas Bett (400m hurdles) were inspiring since it was the first time Kenya won in both field and sprint events at the Worlds.

The performance now gives the country a good launching pad ahead of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Early and quality preparations are the key to good results hence Athletics Kenya must give more resources and time for the development of field and sprints events.

Our sprinters and field event athletes have always yearned for the right exposure. If there are no resources locally, the government should organise for camps outside the country as a short-term measure.