Kenya neck and neck with superpowers

There were many talking points as the curtain came down on the 13th IAAF World Championships in Athletics here, with Kenya chalking up its finest ever performance at the biennial competition.

The 17 medals – seven gold, six silver and four bronze – left Team Kenya in third place overall behind superpowers USA with 25 medals (12 gold, eight silver and five bronze) and Russia with 19 (9-4-6).

It was a great performance given that the USA entered a huge squad of 155 athletes and Russia 73, compared to Kenya’s 46.

Gold medals by Edna Kiplagat in the women’s marathon, Abel Kirui (men’s marathon), Vivian Cheruiyot (5,000 and 10,000 metres), Asbel Kiprop (1,500 metres), David Rudisha (800 metres) and Ezekiel Kemboi (steeplechase) made Kenya the darling of almost everyone in the streets of Daegu.

USA and Russia

“We have done very well competing against superpowers like USA and Russia, who have a lot of resources, unlike Kenya. To finish third is a most commendable performance,” Kenya’s ambassador to the Republic of Korea, Ngovi Kitau, said at Monday night’s closing ceremony.

“We have the talent and the potential, and we are as good as the superpowers.”

The performance provides a great platform for Kenya to prepare for next year’s London Olympics.

Lord Sebastian Coe, Britain’s middle distance running legend who heads the organising committee of next year’s Olympics, was full of praise for the Kenyan athletes.

“It’s great that Kenya will be coming to England early to train in Bristol, and it’s great that (the world athlete of the year and 800 metres record holder) David Rudisha will be coming to the Olympics,” Coe said of the Kenyan star who won the 800 metres world title last week.

And on Monday, Janeth Jepkosgei said shortly after she won a bronze medal in the 800 metres, Kenya’s final track race: “I’m proud to have been selected vice-captain of the Kenyan team, because this time we had the best team that had a lot of team-work, dedication to the nation, patriotism and discipline.”

The Kenya Police runner will proudly lead her team-mates in handing back the national flag to President Mwai Kibaki, quite satisfied their awesome performance will inspire a whole generation of aspiring athletes, especially women.

Special mention, of course, must go out to the other police officer, Cheruiyot, who became the second woman in the history of the world’s biggest track and field competition to win a double gold in the 5,000 and 10,000 metres races after Ethiopia’s Tirunesh Dibaba’s feat in 2005.

Athletics Kenya officials will now pride themselves with having settled for the best training programme ahead of these championships, ending the perennial battles between them and the athletes’ agents over the training regime in the buildup to such an international competition.

But the downside is the failure by the Kenya Tourist Board and Brand Kenya to capitalise on the athletes’ outstanding performances to market Kenya as a preferred travel destination.

That notwithstanding, there is still adequate time to cash in on the build-up to next year’s Olympics, and at least give some prominence to athletes in marketing Kenya to the world.

While Koreans may have earned the unenviable tag of being the first host nation not to have won a medal at these championships, there is no denying the fact that they were probably the best hosts.

Not a single incident of crime was reported here in the two weeks of the global championships that now move to Moscow in two years’ time.