Totally loaded 5k in Kenya this weekend with Asbel Kiprop, Silas Kiplagat, Jairus Birech and Ronald Kwemoi

Kwemoi did run 3:30.43 last year (3rd in Paris) plus 13:16 early in the season, so not an awful year. The big takeaway for me in this article is Kwemoi saying he will try to make the 5K team for Rio instead of the 1500.

By time last year he was the 6th fastest Kenyan in the 1500 (interesting then that he was also 6th in their trials).

I guess it speaks to the crazy depth Kenya has in the 1500 that a 3:28 guy is wanting to move up this year.

Imagine him and Ndiku on the 5K squad ... a 3:29 and a 3:28 guy; could give Farah some real trouble in Rio.

It is great to see that Kiprop is getting his feet wet here at 5000m. Kiprop is difficult to predict at 5000m, but everybody knows he would be dangerous in a championship race, triggering a change in tactics for the likes of Farah. Kiprop may eventually be able to pull off what Hicham did in 2004, and he is smart to get a feel for the event, much like Hicham did. Everybody knows Kiprop has a cross-country background, but his 5000m fitness is a bit of a guess. I would not be surprised if he could run 13:10 or so right now in a paced Golden League 5000m, and would even say 13:00 to 13:20 would be expected. However, at altitude it would likely be a bit slower.

Kwemoi moving up to the 5k is not surprising. Currently, The 1500 is far and away the most difficult Olympic Athletic event to qualify for in Kenya. I had the privilege of having lunch with Peter Rono today, and he remarked how he has never seen the 1500 as competitive in Kenya as it is right now. He went so far to claim that it will be more difficult to make Kenya's 1500 team this Olympics than it would be to qualify for the steeplechase.

Besides, Kenya's 5k core is growing old, and therefore the events ripe for a new face. Last time Thomas Longosiwa was a low 12:50 guy, it was back in 2012 when Eluid Kipchoge had yet to make the move to the marathon. His birthdate is also registered as 1982, so by Kenyan standards he's ancient. Soi has progressively gotten slower each year in the 5k since 2013, and Isaiah Koech has failed to recapture the dominance he had after breaking the world junior mark 4 years ago.

As one poster already mentioned, Caleb Ndiku and Ronny Kwemoi look to be the dangerous duo that dethrones Mo...

'His still only 20.'

Is it really worth making a big deal about an African's unverified age

any predictions for Kiprop can't see any record of him for a 5,000m

The field seems loaded 1500m talent not sure about 5,000m

Apart Asbel, followed by David Letting, all the other athletes named for competing in Mumias are in my Group (including Thomas Longosiwa, who competes in 5000m as all the other).

They are all together, from half January, when I came Kenya after resigning from China. In the past, they belonged to different groups. Now, being all together (there is also Collins Cheboi, 3'30" in 1500m), it's easier to see the different attitudes and characteristics of each one.

This Group, after World Indoor, will be joined by Caleb Ndiku, too.

About Ronald, he doesn't have the ability to change speed, if the race is not fast. He is a tall guy, with very long legs, and runs with long strides, very relaxed. Under this point of view, he's different from Asbel, who has a more "nervous" action (so can be able to change pace in short time).

I think Ronald can have a great future in 5000m, maybe looking at the WR before 2020. That's the reason because I want he can make experience this year, looking at the four years between 2017 and 2020 (next year he doesn't renew the contract with his Japanese Team).

He is really naive, and has to learn a lot of things. However, he is very serious and follows every day the training plan without looking at some strange solution (like, for example, other athletes in the past).

All these athletes are very serious and motivated. We don't reduce training for Mumias, that represents one opportunity for testing the current level of general endurance.

This Group has in their plan other two competitions in Kenya : in Nakuru (18 and 19 March) and in Eldoret (14-16 April), the second one used as last test before starting the DL.

My plan in Nakuru is to put in 1500m the athletes of longer distances (including Birech), and in 800m the athletes of 1500m (Silas and maybe Collins Cheboi).

Ronald goes Japan on 28th March, coming back about the end of May, and in Japan has some competition in both 1500m and 5000m. Only after his return, we decide which competitions can be functional for Trials and eventually Olympic Games.

Renato, have you not said in the past that you figured Silas Kiplagat had great potential in the 5000m? Is this an event he may run in the future?

Renato if you don't mind answering, why did you leave the China position?

Thanks for the update, Renato!

Renato, do you see Kiprop as being capable of emulating El Guerrouj over 5000m in the future?

His world junior cross country win and extremely light frame suggest yes, while his sometimes poor tactics and periodic injuries and illnesses suggest no.

What do you think from your position "on the ground" in Kenya?

I don't have any problem to answer. The situation in China doesn't allow anybody to achieve good results in middle and long distances.

China is divided in 32 Provinces. The average population per Province is about 40 million people. Many Provinces had facilities of high level, and could organize every type of Championships with very good organization. However, IN ALL THE PROVINCES THERE ARE NOT COMPETITIONS, no one provincial competition in one year. Every Province want to organize one or two marathons, for having big numbers, but this is not a stimulus for local athletes, since there are 20 or more African in every Marathon, and Chinese athletes don't take any prize.

Last year, in Chongqin we had the selection for WCh. I put the first two women in the race (Ding Changqin 2:26:54 and He Yinli 2:27:35), but there were 22 Kenyan - Ethiopian, and in the Men race 32 African.

In 2014, I had also athletes of track, looking at Asian Games. Somebody improved dramatically : Zhao Jing, starting the training camp in Duoba (2400m altitude) at 10th July with 2:07, won bronze medal with 1:59.48 after less than 3 months of training. The same Ding Changqin, starting the training camp with 15'55" PB in 5000m, won silver in 10000m with 31'53" (16'20" + 15'33"), and 3 days later bronzr in 5000m after pacing till last lap, with 15'12". Li Zhenzhu, no performances under 9:50 in steeple during the last 4 years, won silver with 9'35".

During winter, Chinese Athletic Association cut all the athletes of track, looking at Marathon only (and the athletes of track were the one with more possibility to reach the final in Beijing).

Chinese athletes are very few : there are no clubs, so every Province is like the only club in all the big areas. Athletes and coaches are paid by the Provinces, and their only interest is to be competitive, once every 4 years, in the National Games (like domestic Olympics). All the other international competitions are, for the Provinces, a big disturb.

Chinese athletes are not allowed to compete using their individual passport. When they have to compete, they are "in mission" : this means the plan of competitions must be done 7-8 months before, and with the level of the athletes this is not possible, because, also if CAA pays all the expenses, the organizers can't accept the athletes till last minute, so at the end they can compete abroad only in institutional events.

I wrote a report of 33 pages to CAA, explaining that their system is against the possibility of a development in the events of middle and long distances.

They give the responsibility of that situation to the "low level of coaching in China", but I explained nobody can be motivated to become a good coach if the athletes can't compete, since there is not motivation.

Last year, the time of the winner of the last national meeting (there are 4 national meetings with the participation of ALL chinese athletes, where it's not possible to achieve good results because of the big amount of athletes competing in every time of the day) in 1500m for women was... 4'36", that means 300m far from Qu Yunxia when she ran 3:50.40 in 1993 !

I showed them the difference between Japan and China, comparing the two Countries as performances. One example only : in 2014, looking at 10000m Men, there were 254 Japanese under 29:30, and... ZERO Chinese.

This means not bad coaching. This mean in one Country there is athletics, in the other Country there is not.

I went China not for coaching some athlete, but for changing the system. After two years, I understood it was not possible. For that reason, and for not wasting my time (I'm 71...), I preferred to resign, maintaining very good relations with all the Chinese I worked with, because I found very nice and educated persons, but not the possibility to produce results.

Thanks for the information Renato. Best of luck to your athletes in the future

Very interesting, Coach Renato. Is this the same system they have for, say, swimming? How do you explain their success in other sports?

Not sure how effective Kiprop would be at 5000m against Farah. He is not a smart runner when it comes to tactics and I believe he doesn't have the patience for a Championship 5k. The last lap of a 5k is not so much about basic speed although it does make a difference, it has more to do with speed in strength and I do not believe Asbel is near the level of Farah in that regard, Asbel has a lot more speed over 400 and 800 which would suggest he is lacking the strength that Farah has. He might catch Farah out if they hit the bell at 13 minutes but the pack and Farah would never let that happen with Kiprop in the field. A small change tactic would expose him I think, if they went at 13:10 pace, I believe Asbel's kick would be hampered enough for Farah's strength to tell. It's still not a fast pace for Farah or the Ethopians but enough to expose asbel's weakness, I believe.

We seen what happened to Caleb Ndiku and Farah last year and he is a more settled and stronger 5k runner than Kiprop even if he is not as fast. Definitely a medal chance if Kiprop stepped up but I believe Farah's combination of speed and strength would be a mismatch unless the race is painfully slow and I could not see them disrespecting Kiprop enough to jog the race at local elite pace but I wouldn't think they need to run sub-13 either.

Will be a very interesting race to watch with all the guys stepping up. Should give

an interesting insight into how the winter training went for all and how strong they are for the forthcoming year.

In every Chinese Province there are the Schools of Sport, such as in East Germany many years ago. These schools can host till 2,000 Young athletes, of all the sports.

The mentality of Chinese people is that ALL THE SPORTS must be carried out INSIDE close facilities. This can explain the successes China has with swimmers, gymnastic and sports indoor such as tennis table and badminton.

This can also explain some top result in technical events in athletics. There are many indoor facilities, do jumpers and sprinters can train very well also during the winter season.

You must think that, for technical events, the Group is not necessary, sometime may be a disturb, too. Good coaches, such as Inocencio for pole vaulting (he was the coach of Lavillenie) or Randy Huntington for long jump (he worked with Powell) can work very well with 2-3 top athletes only, and the athletes, followed with continuity, can produce top results.

But for middle and long distances, you need some Group, possibly with some athletes a little bit faster than you. It's absolutely not possible to improve, when all the athletes around you are very much weaker, and every competition is run in very slow way, waiting the last lap only.

In China, there is no ONE COACH asking the athletes to run fast in the race. For them, the final time is not important, important is the final position only. This is also due to a crazy system for qualifying athletes for National Games : they need to accumulate points during the 4 national meetings there are every year, and points come from the position only. The accumulation of points lasts 3 years, so we have strange situation, like the best in the Country in one year can't compete in National Games because doesn't have points enough, may be because the previous year competed in a different event.

What for Kenya is running, for China is walking. Now Chinese have also the best coach of walkers in the world, my italian friend Sandro Damilano, who from 2010 brought in China a right methodology for a good technique (so Chinese walkers, already strong before 2010 but at risk of disqualification because of a technique at the limit of the rules, now are very correct in their action). When you go in a Chinese track, you find 100 walkers, and maybe 5 runners. Since they win Olympic medals, the most part of Young boys and girls recruited during school championships have a walker as their model, and they like to try this specialism.

Why Chinese walkers are so good in 20 km but not at the same level in 50 km ? For the reason the specialists of 20 km can normally train on the track or in small loops inside the Provincial Facilities for Sport, while the walkers for 50 km need to train on roads outside the official facilities, and this is Dangerous. Same thing for Marathon runners : the last 40 km run before WCh of last year, for Ding Changqin and He Yinli, were... on track (100 laps). It's clear that the athletes can't run enjoying what they do, with a free mind, and this is the most important limit to their evolution.

Don't give too much importance to the competition of Friday. For all these athletes, this is a normal training, since nobody reduced his training during the previous days. More significative will be the competition in Nakuru (18-19 march), and especially in Eldoret (14-16 April), with a good track, few days before th first Diamond League in Doha (with the competition between Asbel and Silas in 1500m, and Jairus Birech in 3000 steeple).

Renato

Would you also say that you simply do not have the same talent for distance running in China that you have in Kenya?

Renato, much appreciated for this insight into the Chinese athletics system as well as this Kenyan competition. I think it is fair to say that he will think the talent level is much higher in Kenya, since he said that the scientists studying epo must have been geniuses to be able to find Kenyan youth who could only average something like 10 minutes for 3k untrained.

Yeah it is me wrote:

Renato

Would you also say that you simply do not have the same talent for distance running in China that you have in Kenya?

Coach Canova can coach the Kenyans to success much like Flagpole might be able to coach the Golden State Warriors to a successful season. Coach Canova tries to coach the Chinese and he is humbled much like Popovich would be coaching the 76ers.

Hi Renato, nice to see you back :-)

Do you still train Kenenisa BEKELE? What are is plans actually: really try to qualify both for marathon and 10000m in OG? And how is his shape: do you think he could challenge Eliud KIPCHOGE in London and make the Ethiopian marathon team? And/or make the 10000m team and challenge Mo in London? Or is he slipping to the end of his carrrier?...

Thanks for the info.