Era of glamorous and eloquent athletes; Kenyan athletes no longer the butt of social media jokes

Sprinters Millicent Ndoro and hummer thrower Linda Oseso (right) at Kasarani stadium before leaving for Commonweath Games in Glasgow, Scotland.[PHOTO/DENNIS OKEYO]

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND: When the foreign media interviewed Uganda’s Stephen Kiprotich after he bagged the 2013 IAAF World Championships marathon gold in Moscow, Russia, the Ugandan failed one big test: His poor command of the English language meant he could not respond to the questions asked.

Knowing he spoke my mother tongue, I engaged him in Kalenjin and Kiprotich opened up with a grin, to the surprise of the international media, who scrambled to my side to get the story right. But Kiprotich’s problem with English is not unique as many Kenyan athletes have faced this challenge over the years, with most of them dodging Press interviews and avoiding invitations to sports talk shows on TV.