Athletics Kenya’s long-serving former chairman, Isaiah ‘Fundi’ Kiplagat’s chequered career came to a screeching halt yesterday.
His bid to become one of the four vice presidents of International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) ended in ignominy after polling the least votes among the four candidates.
Ukraine’s former Olympic pole vault champion was voted senior vice president after losing to Seb Coe for the top seat, along with Qatari Dahlan al-Hamad, Cameroon’s Hamad Kalkaba Malboum and Cuban Alberto Juantorena.
Kiplagat (pictured) had attempted to prompt Kalkaba to step down from the race in his favour ahead of the elections but the Confederation of African Athletics boss declined the proposal.
Abby Hoffman (Canada) and Bernard Amsalem (France) were the other candidates in the race.
He also lost in his bid to retain his position in the IAAF Council, the world ruling body’s top most decision-making organ. Kiplagat ‘stepped aside’ as AK Chairman in May, saying he had taken leave to concentrate on campaign for IAAF Vice Presidency.
Jack Tuwei, hitherto a vice chairman, took over in an acting capacity.
He allayed any speculations as to whether he would return to his post, when he declared during the World Championships trials that he wasn’t going to return to Riadha House.
Kiplagat took over AK, then KAAA, from the late career administrator the late Paul Boit, in 1992 and has run the organisation with an iron fist, elevating it from a dingy Nyayo National Stadium office to its current edifice at Riadha House.
He has served in the IAAF Council since early 1990s. His bid to become African Athletics Confederation (CAF) Vice President failed as he only attracted Kenya’s and Tanzania’s vote.
Other subsequent attempts to lead the continent’s body did not succeed, instead the vice presidency going to David Okeyo, his long serving secretary general, with whom they have had frosty and warm relationships.
The issue of doping among Kenya’s elite athletes particularly came at a wrong time for Kiplagat as he was perceived to be ‘soft’ on managers whose athletes were accused of doping.
To make matters worse, Cameroon’s Malboum Kalkaba’s decision to vie for the same position made Kiplagat’s ambition still-born. Kalkaba and 82-year-old IAAF President Lamine Diack of Senegal got along a lot better than Kiplagat and Diack did.
It will be interesting to see what Kiplagat does next, especially after Tuwei and Barnaba Korir seemed to have sealed his fate at AK.
Meanwhile, David Okeyo, AK Vice chairman, was re-elected to the IAAF Road Running and Cross Country Commission, Joseph Ochieng was also elected to the Walk Race Committee while Ali Fatma Abdalla got the nod to serve in the Women’s Sub-Committee.
Marathon legend, Ibrahim Hussein, failed to get elected to the Technical Commission.