Coaches’ fury as athletes turn AK races into farce

Coaches have urged for code of conduct to inject some seriousness in organisation and participation of Kenyan athletes in the New KCC sponsored track and field weekend meetings.

Speaking separately ahead of the fourth weekend meeting set for Kakamega’s Bukhungu stadium, the coaches who included head coach Julius Kirwa said it was evident during the third meeting held in Nakuru that some athletes treated the events casually.

In Nakuru many athletes who made it through the heats on the first day did not show up for the final. They include two-time world indoor 1500 metres silver medalists Daniel Kipchirchir Komen and the 2004 Athens Olympic steeple chase bronze medalist Paul Kipsiele Koech who did not show up for the1500m final.

It was worse for the 3000 metres steeple chase as almost all qualifiers did not show up forcing coach Peter Mathu to draft into the final race runners who did not participate in the heats.

Mathu said lack of seriousness in the weekend meeting programmes had in the past proved to be counterproductive in major events like Olympics where runners go through many heats before the final.

“Running through heats has been a major weakness for Kenya in major championships and AK (Athletics Kenya) and coaches should encourage athletes to use the weekend meetings to improve on that”, Mathu said

Will be blacklisted

Other coaches who have spoken out on this issure are Ibrahim Kinuthia of Kimbia Club of Nyahururu, Robert Kioni, Francis Kamau of Esmi club of Nyahururu and Coach Joseph Ngure of the IAAF/IOC High Performance Training Centre in Eldoret.

Kirwa hinted that those athletes who failed to turn up for finals or skipped heats but forced their way into the final will be blacklisted.

“We are going to be strict in Kakamega and will not allow such behaviour”, Kirwa said.

At the same time, Wworld 5,000m silver medallist Vivian Cheruiyot will launch her season on Friday in Kakamega during the Athletics Kenya track and field meeting .

Cheruiyot, who holds Kenya’s record in 5,000m race at 14:22.51 skipped the cross country season early in the year.

She broke the Kenyan 3000 metres indoor record (8:30.53) in Birmingham and won the World’s Best 10K race in Puerto Rico beating world half marathon champion Lornah Kiplagat. She returned to Kenya but has not raced since February.

But, the world silver medallist in the 12 lap race is keen to improve on her last performance in Osaka where she finished second in 14:58.50 behind Meseret Defar of Ethiopia (14:57.91).

She launches her season running in the shorter 1,500m race where she will be seeking to improve on her speed. Cheruiyot said that though the four lap race is not her speciality, she was keen to ascertain her preparedness and sprinting ability as the new season gains momentum.

“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.