Poor athletics standards in Coast down to ‘attitude’

Over the years athletes from Taita Hills have dominated distance running in the Coast region but they’ve yet to make an impact nationally.

“Taita Hills is where our champions come from,” said Isabela Mushila former international athlete and AK coast branch official.

“We have a lot of potential in Taita Hills but unfortunately they’ve not been able to excel internationally like their compatriots in Rift Valley,’’ said Mushila who attributed their inability to make to the world stage to several factors.

No athletes from the Coast region made it to the Kenya team for the World Under-18 Championships which takes place in Nairobi in a fortnight’s time.

The Coca-Cola sponsored National Secondary schools athletics championships were held in Mombasa where athletics to represent the schools at the National trials in Nairobi were picked, and as fate would have it, none of the athletes from the region managed a podium finish with only three girls and two boys managing a top 10 finish.

Emily Kushonga from Moi Girls Kadzonzo in Kilifi finished in position eight in the 5,000m walk, Betty Mwale from Mwakitawa Girls in Taita Taveta was eighth in the high jump with a best effort of 1.38m while Laufa Baya from Franz Joseph Mamba Kwale finished seventh in hammer with a throw of 21.49m.

The two boys who managed a top 10 finish were Ezekiel Kirui from Tumani Secondary in Kwale who finished eighth in 10,000m race in 38:14.7 and Eric Maina of Lake Kenyatta Secondary in Lamu who managed a seventh placing in triple jump with a leap of 13.60m.

What is really ailing athletics in the Coast region?

Athletics Kenya Coast branch chairman Dimmy Kimoni Kisalu said Coast athletics has no development programme worth talking about.

According to him, while athletes, especially from Rift Valley, train thrice a week throughout the year their Coast counter parts wait for the schools term two A Games held in the middle of the year before embarking on training.