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Kenya's Depth in Talent is Exposed(The Nation (Kenya) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)Saturday Nation track and field correspondent PETER NJENGA, who covered last weekend's IAAF World Cross-country Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, gives his verdict on Kenya's performance. After a weekend of superlative performance in Fukuoka, Japan, attention now shifts to Mombasa next year where a clean sweep of medals by Kenya at the World cross-country Championships is a possibility. In effect, Kenyans boosted by the wonderful performance of another junior team at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia, sent a strong message that the production line had never stopped the business of churning out the best mid and long distance runners of the world. The winning team: Kenya's officials and athletes after the four-kilometre race at last weekend's world cross-country championships in Fukuoka, Japan. From left: Mombasa 2007 chief executive officer Isaac Kalua, Athletics Kenya chairman Isaiah Kiplagat, silver medallist Isaac Songok, Mombasa mayor Shariff Shekue, Benjamin Limo, AK secretary David Okeyo, Brimin Kipruto, MP Joseph Nkaissery, Edwin Soi, Yusuf Biwott and Kenya's ambassador to Japan Dennis Awori. Photo Courtesy of Sean Hartnett This amazing story left the world of athletics in awe over the depth of talent which abounds once harnessed and protected. Kenya shared the spoils with Ethiopia but Kenenisa Bekele once again demonstrated his rare talent in cross-country running, notching his 10th individual gold medal in the seniors races. While equalling the record of John Ngugi and Paul Tergat, his victory in the 4km will enter the annals of history as the event has now been discontinued, reverting the championships to a previous one-day outing. While Ethiopia took the senior events, it was obvious Kenya were building for the future with so much potential exhibited by the juniors. The same was the case last year. Man of the moment The message was clear for the other countries, Ethiopia included, as minus Bekele and Tirunesh Dibaba, the weaknesses of the Eastern Africa nation begin to show. The man of the moment was Isaac Songok, the 4km silver medallist, an improvement from last year's bronze. But a late injury to Augustine Choge denied the championships an opportunity to see how far Bekele can be chased in fair competition. Songok, a product of junior championships, is now the man to lead Kenya in international competition especially in his 5,000 metres specialty. Meeting Bekele and the Ethiopian contestants at the Africa Championships to select the Africa team for the World Cup is already sounding an enticing spectacle. The team title Choge, the 5,000 metres Commonwealth Games champion, will be starting his track season soon and it would be interesting to see how he will perform. Facing Bekele will be almost impossible. However, fellow Ethiopian Sileshi Sihine should be fair game. He is the person Kenyans should be chasing if results of the 12km are a pointer. By lifting the team title in the feature event of the world championships which has been held for the last 34 years by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), Kenya's fortunes down to nothing two years ago appear to have changed for the better. "We are back in the driving seat," said coach John "Warm-up" Mwithiga after the championships. Permanent coaches "We can only improve and I am happy with this young team which is the material for Beijing in the 2008 Olympics." Mwithiga, Julius Kirwa and David Letting have proved to be a successful coaching trio, lifting Kenya from the edge of the abyss to the current level. Calls are already being made to make them permanent cross-country coaches as the technical arm of Athletics Kenya has been found wanting. Martin Mathathi, who is based in Japan, surprised everybody with a bronze after running a well calculated 12km race. Even Bekele was shocked: "I never expected him this close. A very good runner he is." Bekele recalled Mathathi's race at the Helsinki World Championships last year when he remained with him until the last 200m. The youthful Mathathi said after having won a bronze on the soil of his adopted country, next year should see him doing even better at home. The presence of four other relatively junior runners, with the exception of John Kibowen, showed a lot of promise and certainly Mombasa should be the place where Kenyans will try to match the results of 1994 when the team won all but one of the gold medals on offer. Athletics Kenya's challenge will be how to select the 12km team in the absence of the 4km race. There was equal hope in the junior women's race in which Pauline Korkwang outsprinted Veronicah Nyaruai in a dead heat. Korkwang is coached by Letting and Eric Kimaiyo at the Nike High Altitude Training Centre, Kapsait. Next year, she will be doing senior events but will first compete at the world juniors in Beijing in August. In general, the championships were also used to showcase Kenya, and in particular Mombasa, as the next hosts. The presence of Kenyans in Fukuoka was amazing. Led by sports minister Maina Kamanda, the Mombasa delegation did a wonderful job of showing Kenya was more than ready to host the championships. Mombasa 2007 chief executive officer Isaac Kalua said after the last meeting with the IAAF on Monday that the local organising committee had been given a clean bill of health and the only remaining aspect was on whether the championships should be held in the morning or afternoon. Having been a veteran of these championships for some time now, I think Mombasa will be the best ever. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media. (allafrica.com) |