Selection dilemma: Korir faults national relays team trials procedure

By GILBERT KOECH

Asbel Kiprop (left) and Caleb Mwangangi during the National Athletics Kenya relay series at Safaricom Kasarani on Saturday. [PHOTO:DENNIS OKEYO/STANDARD]

Stakeholders are divided over the selection method for the Kenya team to the World Relays Championships in Nassau, Bahamas.

Nairobi Region Athletics Kenya (AK) boss Barnaba Korir has dismissed the format used by the federation to select a team that will represent the country in the inaugural IAAF World Athletics Relay Championships in May 24 and 25.

Korir criticised the selection system saying it is unfair to athletes and set a bad precedent for future qualifiers.

The five-series selection exercise which began in February 8, has been marred with poor organisation and lack of electronic timing machines a fact he  alleged made many sceptical on its outcome.

 “AK decided to haphazardly roll out the event. But as we go to the final qualifier this month, we may not get the best team as the system seems not to be working,” he told FeverPitch.

The federation employed a set-up where each athlete invited to the series must look for his/her quartet team to be able to take part in the series, which has 4x100, 4x200, 4x400, 4x800 and 4x1500m men and women’s category races on the cards.

Weak runners

Korir wondered what happens in a case where a team with one or two weak runners tops in the selection.

He said in  some cases,  the runner-up teams might have  stronger athletes with better times.

“It’s unrealistic to use the team performance to pick athletes. Honestly how will you take a quartet in either event to the Bahamas just because they won in trials yet the second or even the third team might have had one or two stronger athletes who deserved to be in the national team,” he posed.  

He gave an example of the 1500m event in last weekend’s championships, where World champion Asbel Kiprop and new World Indoor champion Caleb Mwangangi faced off in different teams, which Kiprop’s side won.

Final team

According to the selection mode, Mwangangi could have been left out of the final team were this the final qualifier.

Korir said he had advised the federation on several occasions on the best way to do the selection but his ideas were not implemented.

Korir said he had preferred the American model where only the best athletes per event, based on time, are selected before they are put into groups for the final qualifier.

AK Vice President Paul Mutwii, admitted that they have not come up with the best format for selecting the final squad. However, he hinted that the coaches’ panel will suggest the best format.

 “As for now we haven’t decided on the final selection format and we are waiting for  coaches’ views after monitoring the whole process since it began on February 8,” Mutwii said.

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