Renato Canova wrote:
First thing, I want to know WHICH COACHES were busted for doping. Two were investigated (Jama Aden coaching Genzebe Dibaba and Ayanleh Souleiman, and Claudio Berardelli coaching Eunice Sum and Mercy Cherono), and about Claudio he is totally clean, and is the victim of a was of power in Kenya, and of the fact that Kenyan Police wanted to show all the World they were very tough against doping, after the new law was voted in the Parliament. The future will show that both Claudio Berardelli and Federico Rosa (manager, not coach) are completely clean and against every kind of doping.
After this, maybe a little bit ridiculous to say African competed very bad :
I want to analyse what they did.
800m M :
Rudisha won with the best seasonal performance (1'42"15).
Ferguson Rotich was 5th with a time near his best (1'43"55)
Alfred Kipketer was crazy, running in front the first 500m very fast, and at the end was 6th in 1'46"02 after winning his semifinal in 1'44"38. This was a tactical problem, nothing to do with the shape.
1500m M :
Asbel Kiprop and Ronald Kwemoi did a big tactical mistake, first accepting a pace slower than HM pace during the first 800m (2'17" !), second because they choose to stay at the end of the pack. It's not a case that the first two were the leaders for all the race ! This has nothing to do with their shape (for Ronald was the best of his life), may be more with the fact their coaches could not speak with them about the best tactic, since it was not possible to meet them in the village.
About Elijah Manangoi, he was injured after the heat.
5000m M :
Gebrihwet won bronze, Edris competed very well but was DQ at the end for running two steps inside the field out of the track. About Kenyans, I knew the problems of Caleb Ndiku (Achille's tendon) already long time before the race, and Charles Muneria was moved from 10000m to 5000m for giving Karoki the opportunity to compete in the long distance with a Wild Card.
Who could run better is Isiah Koech, but probably the last period of training in the training camp was not good for him. In my opinion, Kenya paid the fact they didn't select Thomas Longosiwa, Always very competitive in all the finals (Olympic and World Championships).
10000m M :
Paul Tanui was in the best shape of his life, and made very hard for Mo Farah to win. Both Geoffrey Kamworor and Bedan Karoki were not in shape, and probably Kenyan selectors had to consider the result of Trials (when they dropped out) as a signal of bad shape, especially about Karoki. However, could be very difficult to replace them with somebody stronger : no chance at all of medal with anybody else, if these men are not in shape.
About Ethiopian, they had Tamirat Tola for bronze and Demelash number 4, the best position they could achieve.
3000m SC M :
Conseslus Kipruto didn't show a bad shape, if was able to win so easy. The same about Ezekiel Kemboi : his 3rd position was the best he could achieve, and his DQ was a little bit ridiculous.
Marathon M :
Eliud Kipchoge was the first Marathon runner able to win Olympics after winning London some month before, showing the maximum possible about ability to recover and to focus in short time. Absolutely the best Marathon runner ever ! Feiysa Lelisa was a great silver, for doing this was in top shape. About the other Kenyan and Ethiopian runners, everybody waited a good race from Stanley Biwott, who had problems and dropped out before 30 km, while for Lemi Behrane and Abera it was not possible to be in good shape, since Rio was their 3rd Marathon of top level of the year, so we can blame Ethiopian Federation for selecting athletes already mentally empty.
800m W :
Margaret Wambui won bronze with her PB (1'56"89). Eunice Sum ran poorly (she was really affected by the problems of Claudio Berardelli), while Winnie Chebet was on her normal standard.
1500m W :
Faith Kipyegon dominated a tactical race, destroying Genzebe Dibaba, who at the end was not so bad. The other two Kenyans Always were weaker than all the athletes in the final, so no surpsrise at all.
5000m W :
A wonderful Vivian Cheruiyot finally won gold, with Hellen Obiri silver and Mercy Cherono 4th after Ayana : it doesn't seem they failed Olympics !
10000m W :
It was the best event in all Olympics : WR for Ayana, big PB for Vivian Cheruiyot silver, Tirunesh Dibaba bronze, Alice Aprot under 30'. Very bad performances for Kenyans !
3000m SC W :
Ruth Jebet, Bahrein, is Kenyan and trains in Kenya : almost WR ! Hyivin Jepkemoi wan silver with her second performance all time, and Beatrice Chepkoech was n. 4 with her PB : bad shape ?
Marathon W :
Jemima Sumgong, winner of London, won Olympics too. Behind her, Eunice Jepkorir (Bahrein but Kenyan) and Mare Dibaba (Ethiopian World Champion). Of course, after the strict antidoping protocol before Olympics followed by WADA and IAAF (all the athletes were tested from 6 to 10 times), the results were very bad !
And, for looking at other events, since Kenya was a Country full of doping, AFTER THE STRICT CONTROLS, we had the silver medal in 400 HS fro Boniface Tumuti with the National Record of 47"78 (1/100 better than the performance of Nicholas Bett last year for winning WCh), and Haron Koech (Brother of Nicholas Bett) in the final, after bettering his PB in semifinal with 48"49, and another silver medal in Javelin with the WChampion Julius Yego, who, fearing the antidoping controls, choose Olympics for his seasonal best, improving with 88.24m his previous SB of more than 3 meters !
At the end, with 6 Gold medals, 6 Silver medals and 1 Bronze (without counting the DQ of Ezekiel Kemboi) it's clear Kenya had a very bad Olympics, after the coaches could no longer able to administrate any doping for the athletes !
Of course, we continue to find here people not able to switch on their brain before writing stupidities. If this is the level of new generations, I feel really pity for the future of Western Countries.
thanks Daktari.
I have a few questions;
1. What happened to the great man from Uganda- Kiprotich.
Together with Mutai, they blamed the rain.
I expected him to to do better considering that he trains with Kipchoge.
2. Who takes over from Vivian?
Obiri? Cherono?
I think Obiri has a very bright future.
3. What's Beatrice Chepkoech's future? She's been very impressive.
Thanks.
Great analysis by the way.