I mean indoors has always been a bit of a joke. Athletes and national federations don't really care that much.
Basically only North America and Northern /Western Europe even have indoor tracks lol. (And even then it is very region-specific. Some states and countries have none at all.)
Thus, not surprisingly, indoor records are weak, which allows runners like Hocker to sniff them even if they have zero chance outdoors.
They don’t have qualified athletes that they’re stiffing as far as I know? Maybe Dorcus Ewoi (might be hurt?). Traveling to indoor meets isn’t cheap and a few Kenyans tried to hit qualifying marks and failed (Kipkurui, R. Cheruiyot). The rest I presume we’ll see in Doha.
As if a country of over 50 million people, with a large number looking to run their way to prosperity, couldn't field a few entries for an indoor world championship...so many summer specialist Kenyan athletes...
We have some indoor tracks in Europe because it does stuff like snow in winter.
Many European athletes have ran well internationally indoors with no access to an indoor track. Its not something you have to train in in order to race in. Many European athletes are coming back from warm weather training or altitude training with no access to an indoor track to run World Indoors.
It's not easy and affordable for Kenyans to get a visa to travel to Europe. In addition, traveling from Kenya to Europe is quite expensive. The European meets are pretty much their only opportunity to hit the standards indoors, and the European meets do very little in terms of travel and accommodation support for Kenyans (or anyone else, for that matter). So both financially and logistically, it's problematic. This is the reason why Kenya is sending such a small team. Kenya is not an embarrassment; they are simply sending nearly everyone who has qualified.
In the USA, there are 2-3 opportunities every weekend, all winter long to run very fast times on fast tracks.
Athletics Kenya also was going to host a trials meet in Nairobi (outdoors) some weeks ago but it was canceled.
At least most of the top Kenyan mid-d guys have been racing locally, many doing XC. For men some of the 3000m prospects have been missing like Mathew Kipsang, Amon Kemboi, but can't really think of a top 800-1500 man that hasn't raced relatively recently, just not interested in indoors for various reasons
As if a country of over 50 million people, with a large number looking to run their way to prosperity, couldn't field a few entries for an indoor world championship...so many summer specialist Kenyan athletes...
Already covered:
It's a shame wrote: I mean indoors has always been a bit of a joke. Athletes and national federations don't really care that much. Basically only North America and Northern /Western Europe even have indoor tracks lol. (And even then it is very region-specific. Some states and countries have none at all.) Thus, not surprisingly, indoor records are weak, which allows runners like Hocker to sniff them even if they have zero chance outdoors.
We have some indoor tracks in Europe because it does stuff like snow in winter.
Many European athletes have ran well internationally indoors with no access to an indoor track. Its not something you have to train in in order to race in. Many European athletes are coming back from warm weather training or altitude training with no access to an indoor track to run World Indoors.
I'm in Canada, where we have plenty of snow and indoor tracks. (Except on the west coast.) I have also lived in Kenya and hot parts of the US.
The fact is that if you don't have indoor facilities, you are:
- Less likely to be focused on any sort of "indoor track season" since there are no races anywhere near you
- Less likely to have opportunities to qualify for meets like the WC (see 1, above)
Hope you can get this.
Even in the US, distance runners from California (where there are less indoor tracks even with a huge track and field populations) are usually under-represented at the major indoor meets (which are mostly on the colder east coast, and a few in the northwest).
It's not easy and affordable for Kenyans to get a visa to travel to Europe. In addition, traveling from Kenya to Europe is quite expensive. The European meets are pretty much their only opportunity to hit the standards indoors, and the European meets do very little in terms of travel and accommodation support for Kenyans (or anyone else, for that matter). So both financially and logistically, it's problematic. This is the reason why Kenya is sending such a small team. Kenya is not an embarrassment; they are simply sending nearly everyone who has qualified.
In the USA, there are 2-3 opportunities every weekend, all winter long to run very fast times on fast tracks.
Athletics Kenya also was going to host a trials meet in Nairobi (outdoors) some weeks ago but it was canceled.
At least most of the top Kenyan mid-d guys have been racing locally, many doing XC. For men some of the 3000m prospects have been missing like Mathew Kipsang, Amon Kemboi, but can't really think of a top 800-1500 man that hasn't raced relatively recently, just not interested in indoors for various reasons
It does make me wonder what WA is hoping to accomplish with their indoor/short track fixation for qualification. Moves like banning Dempsey times for being oversized, and forcing Kenyans/Ethiopians who don't have indoor tracks to come to Europe to race on an indoor track is not going to result in getting best-on-best. Maybe it's more important for them to make athletes run in World Indoor Tour Gold events than having a more international World Indoors...I don't know. I saw Reynold Cheruiyot ran 13:50 or something to win a 5,000m on a dirt track in Kapsabet. Makes me think he'd be fine if they let him into the 3K, despite tanking in his one-off European race. With the trickiness of doing Indoors, it's not surprising to me they focus on Doha and local XC/track meets instead.
Athletics Kenya also was going to host a trials meet in Nairobi (outdoors) some weeks ago but it was canceled.
At least most of the top Kenyan mid-d guys have been racing locally, many doing XC. For men some of the 3000m prospects have been missing like Mathew Kipsang, Amon Kemboi, but can't really think of a top 800-1500 man that hasn't raced relatively recently, just not interested in indoors for various reasons
It does make me wonder what WA is hoping to accomplish with their indoor/short track fixation for qualification. Moves like banning Dempsey times for being oversized, and forcing Kenyans/Ethiopians who don't have indoor tracks to come to Europe to race on an indoor track is not going to result in getting best-on-best. Maybe it's more important for them to make athletes run in World Indoor Tour Gold events than having a more international World Indoors...I don't know. I saw Reynold Cheruiyot ran 13:50 or something to win a 5,000m on a dirt track in Kapsabet. Makes me think he'd be fine if they let him into the 3K, despite tanking in his one-off European race. With the trickiness of doing Indoors, it's not surprising to me they focus on Doha and local XC/track meets instead.
I feel like I've seen less Ethiopians racing indoors this year as compared to previous years. Maybe just the conflict with XC or guys moving up in distance and to the roads.
Yeah Reynold seems to be in solid form despite the Lievin race. He lost the heat to Charles Kiboino but no problem winning his final
It does make me wonder what WA is hoping to accomplish with their indoor/short track fixation for qualification. Moves like banning Dempsey times for being oversized, and forcing Kenyans/Ethiopians who don't have indoor tracks to come to Europe to race on an indoor track is not going to result in getting best-on-best.
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With the trickiness of doing Indoors, it's not surprising to me they focus on Doha and local XC/track meets instead.
World Indoors 2026 will basically a watered-down moment for certain American/European runners to get a medal. A truly "special" Olympics.