Monday, May 12, 2008

Kenya's newest middle distance stars

The recently ended 16th African Athletics Championships in Addis Ababa last week proved to be more than a benchmark for Kenya to measure up against the rest of Africa in its preparations for the Beijing Olympics later this year.
It proved to be a tremendous opportunity to parade our latest middle distance stars. One of the things that is amazing about Kenyan athletics is that in every championship year, you can be sure that new names will emerge and that there will be sensational performances produced by either hitherto unknowns or middle level performers.
This year is no exception and the talk of Addis ‘08 was undoubtedly about Kenya’s newest middle distance stars, David Rudisha and Pamela Chelimo. These two young 800 meters stars sparkled in their senior debuts for Kenya with impressive runs and further demonstrating that our athletics talent pool continues to run deep.

Chelimo, who has been on a roll throughout the domestic season, has struck a rich vein of form and should she keep it up, could just challenge for the medals in Beijing later this year.

What was remarkable of her victory in Addis was her confident and aggressive style reminiscent of Janeth Jepkosgei, in which she blasted past a top quality field that included the legendary Maria Mutola. Granted Mutola is now in her twilight years but defeating a big name like that is a big achievement for any female 800m runner of this era and Chelimo should be proud of that.

Already she has shown maturity beyond her years and the tactical ability of a veteran at 19 and only in her first season of international competition. With current World Champion Jepkosgei serving as her training partner and role model, it isn’t therefore surprising where she draws her style and inspiration. With Jepkosgei and Chelimo possibly in Beijing together, Kenya’s chances of two medals in the 800 meters are not impossible.

After steadily rising through the junior ranks, Rudisha has taken on the mantle of the top 800 meters man with much gusto as evidenced by his trials and Addis wins. Rudisha reminds me of the quintessential Kenyan 800m runners of yesteryears reminiscent of the Sammy Koskei, Nixon Kiprotich, Paul Ereng, Billy Konchellah and William Tanui era. Tall, lanky and dominating!

Rudisha is a genuine hope for a golden moment in the Chinese capital. Wisely though, in after competition interviews, he played it cool about his prospects, for his coach Bro. Colm carries enough experience to know of the vagaries of Olympic competition.

There are already huge expectations placed upon his young shoulders as a result of his success. Only in his first year in senior athletics, he has many more years to develop and with the right approach already being applied by his minders, he will be a star for many years to come.

Another young star’s prospects continue to rise this time with an impressive bronze medal performance in the 800m. In stepping down a distance, Asbel Kiprop and his advisors are right in looking at sharpening his speed and tactical instinct in preparation for the Olympic 1500m. With a range many of his peers can only dream of -from African 800 meter bronze medallist to Rift Valley 12km cross country champion - the youngster’s combination of speed and strength is impressive. He’s obviously learnt from his missed medal experience in Osaka and will be a strong contender for gold in Beijing, of course if he makes the team.

These are exciting times for Kenyan middle distance running when youngsters are on the forefront in challenging for medals. It certainly bodes well for Kenya in upcoming championships with the future looking even more promising.

Friday, January 18, 2008

Sport adding value to Kenya in time of crisis

The political crisis that’s currently engulfing Kenya has wiped out billions off our local economy and forced the commercial and the industrial world to rethink some of the supposed certainties of the past decade or so. And the sports sector- and in particular athletics- has also been made to examine what it has more or less taken for granted in recent times- that athletics events would take place, that athletes would be able to train effectively and we will continue to win many medals in major championships.

The volatile situation has seen several events cancelled and many others in the near future in jeopardy. Due to the security concerns, many athletes in the Rift Valley have been forced to curtail their training programmes and their fitness levels could be of great concern come selection time.

Yet we could have never pictured this particular tragedy to our local sporting fraternity. The future was getting brighter in which the sport was adding value all around. To the event organisers through improved management and a real understanding of the marketplace, to the athletes who continue to reap the benefits of their hard work and of being at or close to the top of a booming profession, to the federation who benefited from corporate sponsorship, led successful teams, organized championships and individuals and which was not constantly teetering on the brink of financial catastrophe and finally to the fans who benefited from watching top class athletics here at home.

As with any business, this is the kind of stability that is required to encourage investment in the future. However, this being a sport, there will be significant hurdles to overcome when trying to reconstruct this virtuous financial circle.

While the commercial machinations of sport are fascinating, the value of sport extends beyond the balance sheet, something that the local federations such as Athletics Kenya had not simply discovered, but has pushed up on its agenda of late through the planned peace torch run and donations to the Red Cross.

Not to fault AK for their late involvement, but many other sports federations haven’t been involved in community based projects which draw on the values of their sport to effect change. If any have, few have been creative or innovative in communicating these involvements. Many could learn a thing or two from Tegla Loroupe’s much touted and successful Peace Run concept.


As we have never dealt with such a crisis before, the problems created need solutions that aren’t necessarily politically driven. We must look for other ways to help solve this crisis and I believe the corporate sector holds one of the keys to this. Recent trends in sponsorship indicate that many brands desire to find socially responsible outlets for their involvement in sports. Now, more than ever, is the time for the corporate sector to utilize this avenue to effect change. Other than an investment in exposure in supporting important competitions and sportspeople, companies will also get to play a broader role in positively shaping the future of individuals and communities around Kenya.

Sport can add value to the lives of many of our people and can help in tackling real life issues. On one end that value is all about money, at the other it is to do with the value of life enhancement, the sense of purpose, achievement and comradeship which sport delivers.

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

War zone at the Junction


Sunday afternoon, my brother and I decide to drive out to Kimumu and Chepkoilel 8 km on the northern outskirts of Eldoret town to see the damage of the clashes. As we make our way out of town past the old airstrip that has seen its fair share of aircraft in the past couple of days, right across it is the first sign of the destruction. A burnt shell of what was once a lorry.

On to Jerusalem, a multi ethnic neighborhood, very little damage was visible. Perhaps because the odd Kikuyu family lived amongst the many Kalenjin and Luo families in the rows of houses. It is at 'Rock Centre' that we finally see the extent of the damage inflicted on this part of town. From what I remember, a timber yard / construction supplies store is burnt to the ground. Nothing is left but the ashes. And it got worse from there. The entry point to Munyaka, a slum that bore the brunt of the clashes was a disaster! A brightly coloured shop building had most of its shops burnt and or looted out completely.

Every other shop building or house suffered the same fate along the road in Kimumu till the junction to Chepkoilel where the damage rose up a few notches. This area had a high concentration of Kikuyus hence the actions on their properties.

Junction apparently was where the battle was at its highest. Almost all the buildings were

reduced to ashes! I never knew that cement block buildings could burn down to the ground. But they do.


More shells of burnt out cars strewn alongside the road. But one that caught our attention was the blue shell of a pick up that formed a barricade across the road as a civilian road block.
As we tried to manoeuvre around it, we were stopped by 3 youths who demanded to know who we were. Our tour guide replied in Kalenjin " we are one of you" and we were promptly let through. Not before one of the boys who didn't seem more than 20 years told us of their anger at losing what they believed was their chance for a better life with a ODM government.

There was even more anger at the loss of one of the athletes who was murdered not to far from this road block by marauding Kikuyus out to revenge. "We will bury Sang and then unleash mayhem on Munyaka". "Munyaka will be nothing but ash after the funeral" they said with such passion and fury that I was afraid to look them in the eye.

Interestingly, 30 metres from the civilian road block, was a Police lorry filled with Administration Policemen (AP). Some were buying sodas and fruit from the adjacent shops while the rest looked on, not caring a bit or just numb at the grotesque situation. We drove 100 metres right into another civilian roadblock. Same routine except that this one, a few of the boys were carrying pangas (machetes) How is it that there was a police lorry - full of cops - right in between two civilian road blocks and let this lawlessness go on as if it were normal?

I soon found out the answer on our way back when trailing another car that was stopped by the boys, that the police couldn't do much. As they tried to pass through, the boys demanded that the police lorry pay something before being let through. Sounds preposterous? Well, the boys were given something. Fruits. But they were given something before they went through. which left me thinking? How can we feel safe with police like these?

Eldoret has seen some of the worst violence ever and it will be a while before normalcy returns. The trust among kikuyus and other tribes is long gone and I don't know what could ever mend that chasm.