Wellness & Fitness

Busy calendar for Kenyan athletes this year

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Vivian Cheruiyot (right) and Hellen Obiri celebrate after finishing first and second respectively in the Women’s 5,000m Final at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games last August. PHOTO | AFP

The year 2017 will be one of the busiest in recent memory for Kenya in the world of athletics.

Team Kenya will be eying to conquer World Cross Country Championships due on March 26 in Kampala through to the World Relays planned for April 22 to 23 in Nassau, Bahamas.

Kenya will be seeking to cash in on home ground advantage for a sterling show when Nairobi’s Kasarani hosts World Under-18 Championships on July 12 to 16 while the country hopes to uphold its status come the 16th edition of the World Championships due August 4 to 13 in London, having topped the medal standings for the first time in the 2015 World Championships in Beijing.

Kenyan athletes will once again be in focus at the World Marathon Majors with Tokyo Marathon opening the season on February 19th followed by Boston Marathon on April 15th and London Marathon on April 23. 

The Berlin Marathon will go down on September 25, followed by the Chicago Marathon on October 15 with the New York City Marathon closing the season on November 5.

Apart from the London Marathon, Kenyan athletes hope to stump their authority once again in Tokyo, Chicago and New York City besides redeeming their glory in Berlin and Boston where they missed out. Kenyans also look forward to highlight the 14-leg 2017 Diamond League Series starting in Doha on May 5 and ending in Brussels on September 1.
Arguably, the main focus this year will be on the London Worlds where Kenya will have a lot to prove especially after their riveting performance at the 2015 Worlds in Beijing where the country surprised many.

Kenya collected 16 medals; seven gold, six silver and three bronze with the country claiming its maiden victories in javelin and 400m hurdles by Julius Yego and Nicholas Bett respectively.

Winning strategy

It’s the performance that set the stage for the Rio Olympics Games and despite the many sideshows, the athletics team still conjured its best ever results, collecting 13 medals; six gold, six silver and one bronze, to remain Kenya’s sole medal provider at the Games.

Julius Kirwa, who has been retained as head coach, said there is need for a winning strategy if Kenya is to replicate the 2015 Beijing Worlds feat.

“Athletics Kenya must call for a coaches meeting so that we can plan… it’s a long season and we must strategise well. We need to come up with probable athletes where we can monitor and analyses their performances,” said Kirwa.

Vivian “Pocket Rocket” Cheruiyot and Jemimah Sumgong gave the country its maiden victories in the 5,000m and marathon races respectively at the Rio Olympics.

With Cheruiyot opting not to defend her 10,000m world title, having scaled up to marathon, attention will be on multiple continental distance running champion Alice Aprot who finished fourth in 10,000m at the Rio Olympics to fit in her shoes. The 2013 World 1,5000m bronze medallist Hellen Obiri, who won silver in 5,000m in Rio, should step up after Cheruiyot’s exit.

After their Rio Olympics exploits, Kipchoge and Sumgong have already made their intentions obvious as they strategise on how to reclaim the world marathon titles for Kenya in London. It’s in the same British capital city in April last year where Kipchoge and Sumgong destroyed rich fields to win their respective London Marathon races. Notably, Kipchoge broke off to defend the title he won the previous year in a new course record and personal best time of two hours, 03 minutes and 05 seconds, eight seconds shy of the World Record.

Abel Kirui is the last Kenyan to win the marathon title at the 2011 Daegu event while Edna Kiplagat won the women’s race last in 2013 in Moscow, completing a double.

Besides Kipchoge, others who could form the marathon team are Kirui, Dickson Chumba, Stanley Biwott and Cyprian Kotut.

Record victory

Sumgong, world marathon silver medallist Helah Kiprop, Edna Kiplagat, Chicago Marathon champion Florence Kiplagat and New York Marathon champion Mary Keitany are some of those eyeing victories at the London Worlds.

David Rudisha will be back at the same Olympic Stadium where he will definitely relive the memories of his World record victory of 1:40:91 at the 2012 London Olympics. Rudisha will be eyeing his third title.

It’s expected that Yego, who won silver in javelin at the Rio Olympics, Asbel Kiprop (1,500m), Nicholas Bett (400m hurdles), Ezekiel Kemboi (3,000m steeplechase) and Hyvin Kiyeng (3,000m steeplechase), will be back in London to defend their respective titles.

However, Kipruto, who won silvers at the 2013 Moscow and the 2015 Beijing Worlds, should bring different ingredients to the London Worlds after his Rio Olympics exploits.

Kenyan women will have pull up their socks in the 800m after Margaret Nyairera won bronze at Rio.