We need to explore other disciplines

All Kenya’s medals were won on the track. Athletics is only one of the 32 disciplines that were on offer at the Olympics.

Kenya was represented in only five of the disciplines — rowing, boxing, track and field, swimming and taekwondo. How many medal opportunities were missed?

In a country of slightly over 35 million people, Kenya could have some untapped talent in track and field events as well as other disciplines. With some effort, talent scouting and planning, raw athletes could be brought to the fore.

Who knows, there could be potential medal winners from natural talent.

Some of the potential medal sports for Kenya include shooting, archery, cycling, diving, field hockey, rowing, cycling, javelin, beach volleyball and gymnastics.

Kenya has already cut a niche for herself in shooting. Every year, Kenyan shooters line up with the best at the United Kingdom Bisley — which is not an Olympic sport. But, shooting at the Olympics has other disciplines which Kenyan shooters are adept at.

Guy Jack, one of the best skeet shooters, was a lone ranger as he tried to attain the Olympic qualifying mark. “What we need are a handful of people to take the sport and with good competition, Kenya is capable of winning medals in this discipline,” Jack acknowledges.

With support right from the top, several medals can be won on shooting. While shooting maybe expensive because of equipment, archery is affordable. Although a modern Olympic equipment may be quite costly, the life-span is long.

Until recently, a few Kenyans and expatriates struggled to sustain the sport to no avail. Kenya was represented in archery at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

With some natural shooters of the bow and arrow in Eastern Province, this is an unexploited area.

Two brothers Jason and David Dunford have been flying Kenya’s flag in the swimming pool. They are based in the USA which has a strong tradition in swimming.

The structures in the United Kingdom where they were initially based complement their talent in swimming. Zimbabwe swimmer Kirsty Coventry was able to win one gold and three silvers - the only medals for her country.

Kenya has two Olympic size swimming pools at the Nyayo National and Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani stadia which are barely used. They have facilities for synchronized swimming, water polo and diving.

Upto 1960’s, Kenya was highly ranked in field hockey. There has been a sharp decline.