Coaches’ fury as athletes turn AK races into farce

“I want to see how fast I will do in the short race. My speed need to be good if I have to win gold in Berlin. But one thing at a time, I will be in Kakamega to test the waters,” she said.
Cheruiyot, a fifth finisher at the Beijing Olympics 15:46.32, ended 2008 stronger to finish second in both 5,000 and 3,000m races at the World Athletics Finals in Stuttgart, Germany.

“I care little about the opposition. All that I need is good preparation. I get the best here at Kaptagat and will wait to see what my rivals will throw at me,” she said.

The AK weekend meeting now in its fourth round has failed to attract top local stars who have opted to focus on their training. However, head coach Julius Kirwa has cautioned that they need to turn up in at least three events to test their consistence and gauge their performance.
“The time is running out. These athletes need to show up and see if at all what they are practising in their training session is what they provide on the track in an actual competition,” he said.
Kirwa pointed out that after starling performance at both World Championship and Olympic Games, Kenya’s dominance on the track will yet again face a litmus test and cautioned athletes that the selection process will be more stringent.

“They need to put in more effort. The battle is not going to be simple but more painful. After Osaka and Beijing, Kenyan athletes remain to be the centre of focus,” he said.

Several top athletes who have just turned on at full throttle in their training might not travel to Kakamega but will be keen to run in Eldoret next month.

Alfred Kirwa, the world 800m champion and Olympic 1,500m champion Nancy Jebet confirmed that they are preparing for the IAAF Grand Prix in Doha on May 8. It is after that they hope to run in selected races locally.

“I will not be running in kakamega. I have just picked up momentum in training and want to get to my best level first,” said Kirwa.

Chebet, said she is yet to race since her triumphant show in Beijing and will need a few races under her belt before declaring her position.

“I can’t say exactly what I will be doing in the next two months. I want to run in two races and I see where I rank,” she said.