Soaring success amidst scandal

Intrigues and surprises might have punctuated the 2016 season but it’s Kenya’s performance and the surrounding scandals at the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games held in August that took centre stage.

Kenya produced its best ever show at the Games but the preparations were marred by controversies right from the venue of the trials in Eldoret, selection, team  camp at Kazi Mingi Farm and the bungled travelling arrangements.

Despite the many sideshows, the athletics team would conjure its best ever results, collecting 13 medals; six gold, six silver and one bronze, to remain Kenya’s sole medal provider at the Games.

Rio Olympics was also the best ever outing for the Kenyan women after bagging three gold, two silver and a bronze medals.

Vivian “Pocket Rocket” Cheruiyot and Jemimah Sumgong gave the country its maiden victories in 5,000m and marathon races respectively as Faith Chepng’etich chalked a stunning win in the 1,500m race.

The results by Cheruiyot and Chepng’etich were particularly tantalizing after they upstaged the race favourites from Ethiopia Almaz Ayana and Genzebe Dibaba respectively.

Cheruiyot, who had two medals from the 2012 London wrapped up her Rio outing with an Olympic Record time of 14 minutes and 26.17 seconds as she led compatriot Hellen Obiri to a 1-2 finishing, beating Ayana to third.

Cheruiyot, the 10,000m World champion, had earlier won silver in 10,000 in a national record time of 29:32.53, losing the battle to Ayana, who returned a world record time of 29:17.45.

Chepng’etich clocked 4:08.92 to take swift revenge against Dibaba in 4:10.27. Chepng’etich had lost the battle to Dibaba at last year’s World Championships where she had settled for silver.

A new star was born in 800m where Kenya’s 2014 World Junior 800m champion Margaret Nyairera, who had won bronze at the 2016 World Indoor, settled for silver in women’s 800m final.

World champion and record holder David Rudisha successfully retained his men’s 800m title while Eliud Kipchoge handed Kenya its second victory in marathon at the Olympics. Conseslus Kipruto earned Kenya’s 11th title in the men’s 3,000 m steeplechase in an Olympic Record time of 8:03.28. Ezekiel Kemboi, who initially won bronze to become the first steeplechaser with three Olympic medals, was eventually disqualified for line infringement at the water jump phase.

For the first time in history, Kenya clinched medals in the field and javelin events through World champion Julius Yego and Boniface Mucheru, respectively, as Paul Tanui launched Kenya’s hunt with silver in men’s 10,000m, losing the battle to Briton Mohammed Farah, who retained his title.

There were disappointments especially in men’s 1,500m and 5,000m. Asbel Kiprop, who had the previous year bagged his third consecutive title, was the outright favourite to reclaim the title he won last at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. However, he finished a distant sixth in a race won my American Matthew Centrowitz.

Kenya, for the first time since John Ngugi’s victory at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, failed to qualify an athlete in the men’s 5,000m final with 2015 World 5,000 silver medallist Caleb Mwangangi, 2013 World bronze medallist Isaiah Kiplangat and Charles Mneria fell in the semis.

The athletics trials were marred by controversies after most athletes had expressed their displeasure at the trials being taken to Kipchoge Keino Stadium, Eldoret over inferior facilities and lack of warm up track.

While the rest of the selection went on smoothly, the changes in men’s 10,000m team brought controversies. World 10,000m silver medallist Geoffrey Kamworor and Bedan Karoki, who failed to finish the race were given wild cards. Mneria, who finished second was moved to 5,000m to create room.

Kenya participation at the Olympics hanged in balance after World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) declared Kenya non-compliant with the Anti-Doping Code. The International Olympic Committee declared on June 21, 2016 that the eligibility of Kenyan athletes would be decided on an individual basis by the International Federation, governing each sport.

However, Kenya managed to put in place the Anti-Doping Laws that were signed to law by President Uhuru Kenyatta to save Kenya from Wada,  IAAF and Ioc wrath.

Kamworor and Karoki did a 1-2 finish in the men’s race at the World Half Marathon on March 26 in Cardiff, Wales.

Peris Jepchirchir, Cynthia Limo and Mary Wacera clean swept the women’s race 1-2-3 respectively.

The performances saw Kenya also win both men and women’s team titles, an improvement from 2014 championships where despite Kamworor coming first, Kenya lost the men’s team title to Eritrea.

Kenya also sent a team for the World Indoor Championships in Portland in March, where Augustine Choge (3,000m) and Margaret Wambui (800m) won bronze medals.

Kipyegon Bett (800m), Rogers Kwemoi (10,000m), Kumari Taki (1,500m) and Amos Kirui (3,000m s/c) claimed victories in their events while Celphine Chepsol went for the 3,000m s/c victory at the World Junior Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland in July.

Kenya emerged second overall during the Africa Senior Athletics Championships in Durban, South Africa during the month of June.

Alice Aprot and James Rungaru set the successful precedent with unsurpassed victories in the senior women and senior men races after the duo of Mariam Cherop and Isaac Kipsang ruled in the junior categories.

Boniface Mucheru and Mathew Sawe pioneered in winning 400metres hurdles and the High Jump titles in events hitherto Kenya was weak in.

Aprot (10,000metres), Grace Wanjiru (20kilometres walk) and Samuel Gathimba (20km walk) did not only win their respective events but set continental all-time best marks.

Kenya collected a 8 gold, 8 silver and 8 bronze, a haul of 24 medals to maintain their supremacy in African Athletics, losing only to the host nation.