Kenya warned not to
rest on its laurels
Isa Omok
Two leading world athletics managers said on Friday that while Kenya still produced a stream of world-class athletes, their medal-winning could be challenged by up-and-coming talent from other African states.
Briton Duncan Gaskell and Michel Boeting of the Netherlands, in Nairobi to meet Kenyan athletics chiefs and attend the Kenyan national/IAAF Permit cross-country meeting on Saturday, said the east African country had a bright future in athletics.
"Kenya has enormous talent. Coupled with your life style, altitude, weather etc, Kenya can still produce a constant stream of world-class athletes," Gaskell, head of Kim International Management since the death of founder Kim MacDonald in November, said in an interview.
But the Netherlands-based Boeting of Global Sports Communications, said Kenya could not afford to rest on its laurels as other African countries were putting up increasingly stiff competition.
"Kenya has good athletes but they must wake up to the reality that some other countries are coming up," Boeting said.
"Ethiopia, for instance, used to be a closed society. They would only be seen in Olympics and World championships. That has changed. And some medals that hitherto belonged to Kenya are going there," Boeting said.
KENYAN BOON
Gaskell said that Kenya's infrastructure, more advanced than some other African countries, had been a boon to the nation's athletics.
"Kenyan rivals in Africa, Ethiopia and Morocco, have some very good athletes but they lack the kind of infrastructure for producing great athletes," Gaskell said.
"Kenya's Armed Forces produce talented and disciplined athletes. The school system is intact and Kenya Amateur Athletic Association organises competitions regularly. Tanzania should have the same capability but doesn't have the same infrastructure. In fact, they are 10 years behind," he said.
"Morocco has good individual athletes. Indeed, they are a threat to Kenya in championship medals but they can't produce 500 world-class athletes in marathon, cross country, road races etc like Kenya," he said.
Among the top athletes in the Kenyan stable are Olympics 1,500-metres champion Noah Ngeny and upcoming steeplechase star Stephen Cherono. Past luminaries include three-time world steeplechase champion Moses Kiptanui and former world 5,000-metre champion Daniel Komen.
Olympic and world 3,000-metres steeplechase champion Reuben Kosgei, world 5,000-metres champion Richard Limo, world cross country 4-kilometre champion Enock Koech and world's fastest woman half-marathon runner Susan Chepkemei are Kenya's other stars.
Boeting said the school-based sponsoring system was the best way forward for Kenyan athletics.
"Give the young opportunities to compete, but also encourage their education. That's what we do at Global Sports Communications. We support two students by paying their school fees and we invite them for races in Europe during holidays," he said.
But he stressed that athletics, and not philanthropy, were the priority.
"We know our social responsibilities. However, we are not a charity. We're in business and our focus is to make athletes excel," he said.
