AK on the spot over World Relay

There are worries that Kenya could present meek opposition at the inaugural World Relay Championships due on May 24 to 25 in Bahamas.

Some sprints and middle distance runners have decried inadequate preparation ahead of the event with most of them expressing displeasure at plans by Athletics Kenya to hire coaches from abroad.

The coaches, who have quietly expressed their displeasure after AK President Isaiah Kiplagat  revived the plans to recruit a Technical Director from abroad, have also complained about being ignored by AK.

One of Kenya’s top sprinters, who sought anonymity for fear of victimisation, disclosed that AK should have shortlisted all the probables for the World Relay and perhaps put them in a camp or given them a programme under specific sprint and middle distance coaches.

TRIAL AND ERROR

“That should have happened as early as January before the start of Relays and Sprints Series,” said the athlete. “Right now AK doesn’t even know where some of our top sprinter are like Mike Mokamba and Alphas Kishoyan.”

The athlete said the Relays and Sprints Series should mark the pinnacle of their performance and not a place for trial and error. “We should go into these series when we are on form,” said the sprinter.

Another middle distance athlete said AK has no respect especially for local sprint coaches and that is why nobody bothered to apply for the Technical Director’s job.

“While it’s imperative Kenya has a qualified sprints coach but what has AK done to improve the standards of the current local coaches?” posed the athlete.

However, AK chief executive officer Isaac Mwangi said they are right on time as far as preparations for the World Relays are concerned.

AK vice president David Okeyo said their programme rolls out this weekend with selections of the probables in five events that will be done at Kenya Prisons grounds, Nairobi. Okeyo called on all athletes in 100m, 2000m, 400m, 800m and 1,500m to avail themselves for the exercise.

“We shall not run the relays but straight events,” said Okeyo adding that the proper Relay probables selections will be held on February 22 at the same venue.

Mwangi said the recruitment process for a technical Director is well underway after having received applications from England, United States, Jamaica and France.

“We shall start the vetting process next week,” Mwangi said. “The local coaches’ interested can also apply.”

Okeyo said the Technical Director job was the proposal by AK President hence he wasn’t ready to talk about it. The AK President is said to be currently out of the country.