Good planning will help athletes perform in Doha
What you need to know:
- Unlike in other events, 10,000m athletes need time to recover and this can only be achieved if they accorded so much of it by subjecting them to earlier trials
- We know the 10,000m has become a sprint with athletes from not only Ethiopia but also Uganda posing a major threat
- However, things need to be done differently this time around and even train in humid conditions if we can
Finally, the road to next month’s World Championships has started and already, six athletes have booked their tickets to compete in Doha next month.
World 10, 000 metres bronze medallist Agnes Jebet, world 5,000m champion and Olympic silver medallist Hellen Obiri and Prisons’ Rosemary Wanjiru made the Doha team during the national trials for the 25-lap race incorporated in the ongoing national championships at the Nyayo National Stadium. The men’s category saw three-time World Half Marathon champion Geoffrey Kamworor, Rhonex Kipruto and Rodgers Kwemoi book early tickets to Doha.
This is what we call good planning. Having been in athletics for long, both as an athlete and as an administrator, I am aware this was the only way out if we are to help the athletes achieve their dream of winning medals.
Unlike in other events, 10,000m athletes need time to recover and this can only be achieved if they accorded so much of it by subjecting them to earlier trials.
We know the 10,000m has become a sprint with athletes from not only Ethiopia but also Uganda posing a major threat. This time, we want to work with coaches to ensure everything runs according to schedule and work on the athletes’ psyche.
I am convinced winning the event at the global stage is all about self-belief and that is what we want to inculcate in our runners.
We believe if they can start their preparations now, they will be at their peak by the time we head to Doha. It’s not a secret that the 10,000m title has been elusive at the world stage for some time now with Briton Mo Farah and Ethiopians calling the shot. For example, the last time we won the men’s 10,000m was in Edmonton in 2001. Eighteen years is a long time and we need to recapture it.
In the women’s category, Vivian Cheruiyot was the last winner in both Daegu in 2011 and Beijing in 2015. Again, five years is a long time and we need a new ‘queen’ over the distance. I believe with the combination of Jebet, Obiri and Wanjiru and with good planning, we cannot be ruled out here. Obiri is an organiser par excellence and even a clean sweep is possible.
The men’s event is equally formidable. However, things need to be done differently this time around and even train in humid conditions if we can. We all know that we can’t do things the same way and expect different results at the end of the day.
