Kenyan team camp - officials agree to let athletes go it alone
Sunday 31 July 2005
Kenyan national team officials have adopted a new strategy for the World Championships in Athletics, Helsinki, Finland, which start next Saturday (6 – 14 August).
Preparations by the East African nation for major global competitions are usually fraught with controversy between athletes on the Grand Prix and TDK Golden League circuit, and officials who wish to have a certain control on the team’s overall preparations, which has sometimes led to some acrimonious sitautions. However, this is not the case this time as Athletics Kenya officials have allowed athletes to train on their own.
Out of 36 athletes selected on June 25 for the World Championships, only 10 have consistently been present at the team training camp in Nairobi.
Marathon runners were given special consideration to train on their own and at venues that suited their programmes.
Catherine Ndereba, who will be defending the women’s Marathon title, is training in Philadelphia in the United States, while former world record holder Tegla Loroupe, is in St Moritz, Switzerland.
Wilson Onsare, who was runner-up in Boston City Marathon last April, Rotterdam Marathon winner Jimmy Muindi, Beatrice Omwanza, who won Turin Marathon and Joseph Riri, who won in Osu Marathon in Japan and was second in Berlin, are training in Ngong, a hilly township only 30 minutes north of capital Nairobi.
Amsterdam Marathon title holder Robert Cheboror, Paul Biwott (second in Paris Marathon), Helen Kimutai and Rose Cheptoo are training in Iten, a small town 25-km north of Eldoret, Kenya’s capital of distance running.
The rest of the athletes decided to train on their own, mainly in Eldoret, which is home to virtually the entire elite of the Kenyan team.
“Nairobi is not conducive to our training needs. The atmosphere is polluted. Moreover, doing interval training on the tartan track is not good for attaining maximum results,” said Olympic 3000m Steeplechase champion Ezekiel Kemboi told reporters at the Moi University’s Chepkoilel campus training ground last week before flying to Europe for races early last week.
Also training at the same venue in the past weeks have been World 5000m champion Eliud Kipchoge, and Olympic 3,000m steeplechase silver and bronze medallists Paul Kipsiele Koech and Brimin Kipruto, and other leading lights such as Daniel Kipchirchir Komen, John Kibowen, Benjamin Limo, Alex Kipchirchir and Isaac Songok.
But Komen, Kibowen and Alfred Kirwa did briefly join the main training camp in Nairobi before leaving for Europe.
Danson Muchoki, the head coach, had only former World 10,000m champion Charles Kamathi, Martin Irungu, walker David Kimutai and William Yiampoyi to coach permanently at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, in the outskirts of Nairobi.
The women who were present at the camp were World 5000m bronze medallist Edith Masai, Olympic 5000m silver medallist Isabella Ochichi, Irene Kwambai, Jackline Chemokwo and Prisca Jepleting. Again many of these left for Europe last week.
“We have absolutely no problem with this arrangement. Athletes only requested to train in Eldoret for a while but we are keenly monitoring them,” Saoli ole Kanai, the team manager, said.
Omulo Okoth for the IAAF
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Will this be enough to curtail Ethiopia's domination who have the Men's and Women's 10000m World Champion and Women's 5000m World Champion and Men's 5000m medalist all returning to Helsinki?