Just Imagine being a Kenyan trying for Beijing

That is just one race too, it is nuts.

that ugandan kipsiro is i'd wager from a kenyan tribe ( the "kip" prefix to surname ) but lucky to be born across the border ( there are a coupla other ugandans who have kenyan names - one called kiplagat & boniface kiprop :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boniface_Kiprop

)

these tribes don't live in neatly compartmentalised countries but spread over various borders

maybe some of the kenyans coud drift across the border into neighouring countries like uganda/tanzania & take out citizenship there - doubt it'd be hard

I know this thread is about kenyans but iam going to say this especially about americans:-

Americans need to believe in themselves more.Look at the performances of Allan Webb last season.Lots of it was because of a boost in self belief.That is the edge that the kenyans have of you guys.Someone like Ryan hall could have performed much better than he did in London if he had just had alittle bit more self belief coz it was very clear that he had done suffiecient training to win the race.

I say this coz The US has lots of excellent distance runners but they just belief that they are not as good enough as the kenyans or ethipians when that is not necessarily the case.Anyone can be a winner if they work hard enough;remeber the brazilian who won NYC marathon in 2006?

sawe wrote:

I know this thread is about kenyans but iam going to say this especially about americans:-

Americans need to believe in themselves more.Look at the performances of Allan Webb last season.Lots of it was because of a boost in self belief.That is the edge that the kenyans have of you guys.Someone like Ryan hall could have performed much better than he did in London if he had just had alittle bit more self belief coz it was very clear that he had done suffiecient training to win the race.

I say this coz The US has lots of excellent distance runners but they just belief that they are not as good enough as the kenyans or ethipians when that is not necessarily the case.Anyone can be a winner if they work hard enough;remeber the brazilian who won NYC marathon in 2006?

1. Go buy an English book

2. ???

3. Profit

Idiot ,i do not have to speak and write grammatically correct english.Incase you forgot the british empire is a thing of the past and everyone is free to choose whatever languange they wish to speak in.I speak 5 languages.I bet you on the other hand is atypical american who can only speak one language(english) and you think you are superior.Wake up my friend,stop living in the past.I bet if i were to sit a grammer test with you i would actually beat you.What was your verbal SAT score?if i may ask.

Yeah,Im guessing youll get an truthful response there dude.

I think Kenyan depth at the distances is only marginally better than US depth in the sprints.

That's correct, so all the Kenyan sprinters have to do is start believing in themselves, and all will be right with the world.

turku:-

training for sprinting requires more technology than does distance running.Technology which is still not available in kenya.If kenya was a super power like the states she probably would be able to produce more better sprinters and perhaps rival the US.

So Jamaica and Nigeria and Ghana are so technologically superior to Kenya and other East African countries ???

Don't be silly. Think somatotype, muscle mass, bone density, etc. Perhaps there is a reason why most of the top British and Canadian sprinters are of Caribbean or West African descent, other than self-belief. Do you think?

sawe wrote:

Someone like Ryan hall could have performed much better than he did in London if he had just had alittle bit more self belief coz it was very clear that he had done suffiecient training to win the race.

I have to disagree with your Ryan Hall analogy. That guy believes more in the gifts his God has given him than any runner I've ever heard. Have you ever heard his interviews?

To win London (in sub-2:06) against the best in the world in your 3rd (I think) marathon is a tall order for anyone.

sawe wrote:

Idiot ,i do not have to speak and write grammatically correct english.Incase you forgot the british empire is a thing of the past and everyone is free to choose whatever languange they wish to speak in.I speak 5 languages.I bet you on the other hand is atypical american who can only speak one language(english) and you think you are superior.Wake up my friend,stop living in the past.I bet if i were to sit a grammer test with you i would actually beat you.What was your verbal SAT score?if i may ask.

I definitely speak at least two languages better than you speak English, possibly three and am learning a fourth. I have lived abroad in four countries. Maybe most Americans only speak one, but you guessed wrong this time. My verbal SAT was 700+ but that was so long ago I don't think it's relevant (though not quite as "perfect" as my math).

I should add that technically English isn't even my "native" language, though I've spoken it for over 20 years and now speak it better than my mother tongue. I nutted up and got the language down, how bout you try?

Try being a 110HH guy in the US:

A Standard Olympics 13.55

A Standard US Olympic Trials 13.40

My attitude would be bring it. If I make this team I am a true contender for an Olympic Medal. Make the US team and you get props but there still that seed of self doubt when Your trying to be a world beater. Flanagan quote the other day was classic. "If you don't have a kick on the world stage your pretty much useless" Ain't that the truth!

That's eight guys in one race in early May. This is last year's list:

http://www.iaaf.org/statistics/toplists/inout=O/age=N/season=2007/sex=M/all=n/legal=A/disc=3000/detail.htmx

I count 13 guys at 7:39 or faster.

bulldog35 wrote:

My attitude would be bring it. If I make this team I am a true contender for an Olympic Medal. Make the US team and you get props but there still that seed of self doubt when Your trying to be a world beater. Flanagan quote the other day was classic. "If you don't have a kick on the world stage your pretty much useless" Ain't that the truth!

that's unfair on guys who were injured at trials

2 shining examples of guys who failed at kenyan trials :

- kiptanui in '92 when he set 3k wr & missed 5k wr by 3s ( crap paced race )

- komen in '96 when he later ran 7'20 that season

both these guys couda won the 5k title quite easily those years if given a chance

phidipidippides wrote:

I should add that technically English isn't even my "native" language, though I've spoken it for over 20 years and now speak it better than my mother tongue. I nutted up and got the language down, how bout you try?

20 years of mastering the English language so you can come to a message board and make fun of people?

bulldog35 wrote:

My attitude would be bring it. If I make this team I am a true contender for an Olympic Medal. Make the US team and you get props but there still that seed of self doubt when Your trying to be a world beater. Flanagan quote the other day was classic. "If you don't have a kick on the world stage your pretty much useless" Ain't that the truth!

In 1992, Kenya has the defending Olympic Steeplechase champion, the defending world champion and the world record holder and NONE of them made the Kenyan team for Barcelona, and yet Kenya still finished 1st, 2nd and 3rd.