Kenyan athletes dope on mursik

By ANIL BAKARI

The just-concluded Moscow games gave doomsayers opportunity to cast aspersions on Kenyan athletes, who outperformed themselves.

The critics fished out doping claims — the elephant in the locker room of Kenyan athletes — and attempted to use them against our heroes. That’s how low irritants sink? It is true some 14 athletes have been suspended over doping claims, but these sportsmen, cannot be used as our benchmark.

For instance, Edna Kiplagat’s win in Moscow to retain her marathon title proves that Kenyans are natural winners. And some of the races were made for our athletes to win, just like 100m is for Usain Bolt for the taking. But while at it, claims of doping may be mistaken since most of African foods border on drugs.

Here, vegetables like managu, kunde and saga come to mind. Again, there is mukombero, which certainly falls under performance enhancing drug — if you understand what I mean.

Now, if these are the kind of foods majority of our athletes eat, why someone would not claim they are using performance enhancement drugs? Perhaps even mursik contains some performance enhancement elements if its ingredients are anything to go by.

All said, kudos to our athletes for shaming the doomsayers in Moscow. Hongera, you are patriots and we celebrate you.