Kenyan athletes at the 2015 IAAF World Athletics Championships in Beijing have done the country proud after winning six gold, three silver and two bronze medals by Wednesday evening. Once again, Kenya has been etched on the world map as a powerhouse in athletics.
Not only have the athletes provided a welcome relief from the drab political scene, the cheers, encouragement, support and the Kenyan spirit that the athletes evoke in us goes a long way to show what team spirit and togetherness can achieve. These athletes are the best brand ambassadors this country will ever have and deserve commendation and accolades.
For the longest time now, Kenya has shown its dominance in the middle and long distance races, with the only serious challenge coming from the Ethiopian athletes. The Ethiopian challenge has only helped in motivating our athletes to excel to maintain their dominance and nothing proves this better than the ongoing Beijing championships.
Nicholas Bett and Julius Yego won Kenya Gold medals in the 400m hurdles and javelin respectively for the first time in the history of the championships. This demonstrates an abundance of talent in the country that is just waiting to be harnessed.
Julius Yego, fondly known as the YouTube man, shrugged off challenge from seasoned athletes to throw the javelin 92.72 metres, bettering his Olympics record and drawing closer to the reigning world record of 104.80 metres set in 1984 by Uwe Hohn of Germany.
This magnificent show is in itself a challenge to our athletics trainers to scout for more talented youth to represent Kenya in other events and races that have hitherto been patronised by American, European and Nigerian athletes.
David Rudisha, the reigning 800m world record holder, came back with a bang after an injury he sustained in 2013 forced him out of competition for two years, to reclaim his title. He ran with a grace and effortlessness that belies the hard work and effort he put into preparing for his comeback. Ezekiel Kemboi proved to be too good for the competition in the 3,000m Men Steeplechase just as Vivian Cheruiyot outshone her opponents in the 10,000m race. Hyvin Jepkemoi outdid other contestants in the 3,000m Women Steeplechase race to claim a gold medal. In the final analysis, the athletes have done very well and did not disappoint.
In many ways, athletics is all about the triumph of the individual. It takes self-discipline, determination and focus to keep to the training routine; it takes personal sacrifice to train hard, consistently, alone, sometimes in rough terrain and like in the case of Mr Yego, training using YouTube videos as a personal coach and taking the crown is no mean achievement. The triumph also demonstrates what is possible with effective deployment of technology.
Yet despite that, Kenya does dismally in team sports. Does that mirror our society? And what could be the problem? Because beyond athletics, individual successes of Kenyans across the globe is quite remarkable; from the late Wangari Maathai; to Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o; to Dennis Oluoch, McDonald Mariga, Victor Wanyama who have excelled in European football clubs; to those strutting the global stage in places like the UN, the World Bank and bluechip multinationals, Kenyans are shining. So why, despite all the presence of these sterling sons and daughters, are we an underdog?
The winning in Beijing should speak to the hearts of many. We have what it takes, but we probably lack the leadership to tap into the myriad talents. Leaders must therefore ponder hard and long.
The Standard Group Plc is a
multi-media organization with investments in media platforms spanning newspaper
print operations, television, radio broadcasting, digital and online services. The
Standard Group is recognized as a leading multi-media house in Kenya with a key
influence in matters of national and international interest.
join