Kenyan press: Kenya teen who had never run a 1500 before, runs 3:38 1500. That's what we call talent.

If it's your first and only half-marathon then by definition you set a "PR."

He was hyped up to be the future of the 5000m not a national level roadie.

He’s been disappointing as a pro, but hasn’t disappeared just hasn’t progressed. It’s not easy being a distance guy in Kenya we can agree though. Sub-13/sub-27 fitness to make a Worlds team.

Yeah I find it interesting how the title of the article is “Obey your coach, always.” Makes me wonder if the message to always obey your coach means to take whatever pills or injections he gives you.

spotiflyer.net

Continuing to defend the indefensible under the guise of cool headed rationality. Almost as bad as Rekrunner. From what we now know about Kenyan doping and age cheating, and his subsequent trajectory, the odds of him being both 17 and clean when he won the world juniors is close to zero.

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Did I ever say I thought he was 17? You’re just putting words into my mouth. I’m probably as dubious of his listed age as you are. That doesn’t mean I think he was doping either. I’d be not surprised at all if he was 19-20 when he won and that’s why he’s gotten a little better in his low 20s seasons or whatever. I take Kenyan ages on a case-by-case basis. I agree with you Wanyonyi is likely older than his listed age for instance.

Look him up and get back to me. 3:42 at age 14 back in the 1990s.

13:05 5000 for Kiptoo yesterday in Italy

worldathletics.org

Atletica 2000 Meeting | Results | World Athletics

World Athletics Events and Results

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Wow. Worth noting Josphat Kipkirui Sang, who beat him in the races that prompted this, finished 2nd at Kenyan Champs taking down some big names and passing the eye test in running a tactical 3:38.7. So we might see him at African Games, and it's fair to say both guys seem to be progressing at a fast rate (though unsure if really 16-17). Kipkirui I assume is hurt, but I also wonder where Kibathi Wanjiru has been since his World Juniors XC win. He has no races on record in Japan or Kenya.

The reason these guys tend not to improve much, if at all, from the year they burst on the scene out of nowhere is that it takes years of physical development and training to get to the level where you can travel to run internationally from Kenya, and because getting on the senior circuit is so difficult, it's much easier to lie about your age (most don't get issued birth certificates at hospitals even today in Kenya, let alone 15-25 years ago when these guys were born) and get put on a junior or youth team. So, they're already near their lifetime peaks, or at least only a couple years from them, by the time they compete internationally. Then too if they're willing to lie, they are probably willing to take the drugs the agents feed them or they take drugs in order to get noticed and compete internationally.

As for the birthdate on this guy, it's 2007, so he's supposed to be 16 now, to turn 17 in August, with the 13:05. Totally normal progression. Appear on the scene at 15 with a 3:38 1500m and Commonwealth Games silver in a race with a number of competitors who appear to be their actual age, and then run 13:05 the next year.

History supports everything I have said above. Kenya must have about 400 bans now from 2015 to the present, and we all know how many age cheating scandals they have had.

Yeah I'm curious who of those you mentioned will compete at trials, I'm thinking Sang might and Kipkirui definitely seems to be/have been injured.

As for Kibathi, I saw yesterday he ran ~13:28 in Japan a close 3rd behind Raphael Dapash and Shadrack Rono in the rain

he's in the 2nd heat above (runs for Toyota)

Then it was time for my hourly nap.

Rojo trying to find more info on underage athletes is quite frequent on these boards. Then again grass on the pitch is what they say

'..... it's Chinatown...'

Interesting that his South African manager once ran a 9.95 100m, but it wasn't ratified because he didn't give a testing sample until he got home.

One of his other athletes has served two doping suspensions.

sowetanlive.co.za

Manyonga emerges from oblivion, offers apology

@SowetanLIVE

Disgraced long jump star Luvo Manyonga has finally broken his silence about his four-year ban for a doping violation.

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Interesting in itself that a 16 year old Kenyan with around five races under his belt has a top South African as manager.

Not even sure if worth responding but why would that be weird. He’s a South African manager who has lots of athletes in East Africa. This athlete is obviously pretty talented, even if that birthdate is inaccurate. As for Manyango, he had a pretty well-documented crystal meth addiction. Seems like he’s got a lot of real-life problems, and I’d more worried about the guy not damaging himself or his family over using it as points in an argument against a track agent.

Semi-unrelated but most of the young guys are looking like theyll be African Games / U20s, Kiptoo Alamisi was invited, but no Sang/Kimaiyo/Kibathi https://www.capitalfm.co.ke/sports/files/2024/06/athletes-inited-for-trials.pdf

Weren't a couple of young Kenyan women suspended no so long ago? Remember, there's no such thing as magic is Eldoret.

Now we can add David Kiprotich Bett, winner of the 2010 5000m title to this ignomious list.

If we add Nijel Amos and his win in the 800 at the 2012 Championships it means that from 2010 to 2018, in all five World U20 Championships, at least one East African male gold medalist of the 800, 1500, or 5000m has been busted.

Hamza Druich, the 'Quatari' Moroccan born winner of the 1500m in 2012 was also subsequently banned for ABP irregularities.

I read that Cameron Myers is going to the next U20 Championships. My advice to him would be - don't! Just breathing in the EPO fumes from his 25 year old African rivals at the starting line might trigger a positive sample.