Kenyans at a loss to explain why there women were so dominant at Worlds but men only won 3 medals

rojo · 2025-09-26T09:12:34-04:00

I came across an article on how the Kenyan men aren't doing as well as the Kenyan women. I think looking into that is interesting but think the conclusions in this article are totally illogical.https://www.the-star.co.ke/sports/2025-09-26-the-silent-crisis-why-male-athletes-are-slowly-losing-groundKenya's coach Julis Kirwa calls "for a review of the selection criteria in the men’s ranks, especially in the 5,000m and 10,000m. What? The selectrion criteria was the same fo the women and they won both events.He even says they should only take the winner of the Kenyan Trials and then have a committee pick the rest of the team.[i]Going forward, Kirwa feels only the top athlete across the line during National Trials should be guaranteed a place in the Kenyan team. “Those who occupy between positions two and four will have to rely on the final selection closer to the championships,” he noted.[/i]Why? It's not like there are Kenyan men dominating the circuit who didn't end up on the team.

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8 months ago 09/27/2025 6:54am EDT

re: Kl

Kl wrote:
USA men distance runners are waay better than USA women.
If Kenyan men being outperfomed by women you say women are better responders... We could use the same logic and say USA men are better responders than women too
Kenyan men especially kal3njins have never been good kickers and races are usually won by a last lap kick. Good endurance but in a kicker's race its very few kenyan men who have come on top thats why most move to the roads earlier. They cant easily win track races due to lack of a kick

Your argument assumes doping is at the same proportions in the US as it is in Kenya. It won't be. Nobodies is. It is endemic in Kenya.

8 months ago 09/27/2025 6:55am EDT

re: the430miler

the430miler wrote:
Armstronglivs wrote:
Women are better responders?
What exactly are you talking about? When i hear responder I think if a paramedic or ambulance driver.
Coach dahl

Then you aren't informed about doping. It is a common term.

8 months ago 09/27/2025 4:28pm EDT

re: rojo

Yes, they're women were sew dominant, Rojo

8 months ago 09/27/2025 7:16pm EDT

re: Armstronglivs

Armstronglivs wrote:
Women are better responders?

Exactly look at East Germany.

8 months ago 09/27/2025 8:23pm EDT

re: sameold sameold

Primary problems :

Training errors and the negative influence of methods for payoff in half marathon and marathon racing.

Trials system misguided. They need to make trials qualifying more relevant to the actual winning of the medal

These standards would work better than current:

800m … <1:14 600 (running start allowed)

1500 …. < 2:14 1000m ( running start allowed)

5000 … < 7:25 3000m

10000… <12:50 5000m

Steeple …. any of the above + 400h < 54

( running start allowed for hurdles test)

Marathon < 58:30 half marathon

Automatic selection to anyone within 1% of WR for their respective event within 6-8 weeks of trials

8 months ago 09/27/2025 8:41pm EDT

re: El Keniano

El Keniano wrote:
El Keniano wrote:
Everybody's an expert on Kenya. A variation of this article comes out every couple of years. Like 2012 when Kenya could muster only two golds at the Olympics or 2013 when Team USA beat the senior Kenyan men's team at the World Cross Country Championships. And don't forget the Kenyan men haven't won the 5000 or 10,000 in over 2 decades.
Again, the downvotes.. Can any of you point to a specific global championship this century when Kenyan men dominated the 5 or 10? No, you can't!

By 2000 the EPOpians had jumped on the bandwagon.

8 months ago 09/28/2025 5:53am EDT

re: THOUGHTSLEADER

THOUGHTSLEADER wrote:
Sponkert wrote:
You keep ignoring the elephant in the room. That several of mostly male fast Kenyan 1500 - HM racers, including Kipruto, Kandie, Koech, Manangoi, Kwemoi, Langat, Korio, and Kisorio, have been banned in the last five years or so not only removed them from the talent pool, but also might have a detrimental effect on the doping of the others. On the women's side, who was there besides Aprot and Anyango?
Again these guys outside of Manangoi were bronze at best? Most not beating the guys who do rep Kenya domestically or otherwise. Track runners need speed and a kick. The NCAA seems to develop these things better than Kenya currently. Their current blue-chippers are Alamisi Kipkurui, Denis Kipkoech, Brian Musau, Edmund Serem, if they hit like the last women’s crop nobody will care about depth any more.

I am not convinced. Those aren't just sub-27 runners who nevertheless could never medal over 10000 in your opinion; no, several of them are/were world record holder between 10k and HM. If only two of them had won bronze, the male medal count would have jumped from 3 to 5.

And don't forget the hopefully "detrimental effect on the doping of the others" of their bans.

But you do have a point. Why do the Kenyan females have such a kick, and the males don't? Or is the biggest difference - aside from more luck with fewer doping bans - that they are lucky to have Kipyegon and Chebet (3 gold, 1 silver), compared to "only" Wanyonyi (1 gold)?

8 months ago 09/28/2025 7:42am EDT

re: history biffy

history biffy wrote:
I am not convinced. Those aren't just sub-27 runners who nevertheless could never medal over 10000 in your opinion; no, several of them are/were world record holder between 10k and HM. If only two of them had won bronze, the male medal count would have jumped from 3 to 5.
And don't forget the hopefully "detrimental effect on the doping of the others" of their bans.
But you do have a point. Why do the Kenyan females have such a kick, and the males don't? Or is the biggest difference - aside from more luck with fewer doping bans - that they are lucky to have Kipyegon and Chebet (3 gold, 1 silver), compared to "only" Wanyonyi (1 gold)?

Kenya still has plenty of sub-27 runners and HM world beaters. 4th place and bronze is huge in our minds but Western runners improving is why Kipkurui/Kurgat are short of medals. They beat very good runners.

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Kenyans at a loss to explain why there women were so dominant at Worlds but men only won 3 medals

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