Robert Ouko’s tip for Kenyan sprinters

Robert Ouko

Kenyan athletes are arguably the best in the world.

 

They are particularly good from 800m to the marathon, where they ride roughshod over their rivals from around the world.

They also were pretty good in short races, especially 4x400m relay in which they won silver in 1968 Olympics in Mexico and gold in Munich four years later. They can handle this race very well.

Yet there is the small matter of baton handling, which is a game changer in this highly technical event, as confirmed by a legend of this race.

“Baton handling is crucial in sprint events and Kenyans will have to perfect this to succeed and be among the best in the world like we were more than 20 years ago,” said Ouko.

“It took us four years of fanatical handling of the baton and that was in the United States, which had and still has the best conditions for that kind of drill.

“It is not something that athletes can perfect in a two-week residential camp. No No No. It has to take time because baton handling makes or breaks a good team. We have seen this in past major Games like Olympics, Commonwealth Games and World Championships.

“I was impressed by one of the coaches during the trials who stressed on baton handling. Without it, we are doomed. We have a good team, especially in the longer relays (4x800m and 4x1,500m), but we have talent in the short ones, too. This is where the baton handling will be tested to the limit,” he stated.

Ouko won gold in Munich in 1972 with Charles Asati, Hezekiah Nyamau and the iconic Julius Sang, husband of Tecla Chemabwai Sang, now an university don and one of Kenya three women Olympics pioneers. Ouko also won Commonwealth Games gold in 800 and 4x400m in Edinburgh in 1974. Ouko, Thomas Saisi, Nyamao and Naftali Bon also ran a world record time in Crustal Palace in 1970 during the golden era of British middle distance running.

He says they would go everywhere with the baton, from dining room to lecture halls. This enabled the legendary coach, Charles Mukora, to prefer him to William (Bill) Kosgei, now among the coaches here in Bahamas, yet the latter was a more senior athlete.

Ouko is now involved in community policing in Karen/Ngong suburbs while not rendering a helping hand in road race organisation like the Mara Marathon.

Saisi is into large scale farming in Kenya's bread basket of Kitale, Nyamao is running a provision store in Ogembo, a small hamlet outside Kisii town, while little is heard of Bon, who won silver in 4x400m relay in Mexico Olympics with Charles Asati, Sang and Daniel Rudisha, father of the 800m Olympics and World Champion and record holder.