Anxiety in Iten and Eldoret ahead of contest

BY JOSEPH NGURE                   

Anxiety and high expectations are evident in Eldoret and Iten towns as the 14th edition of the IAAF World Championships gets underway in Moscow tomorrow.

Social hangouts where fans congregate to watch major athletics events in the two towns have installed new electronics for their patrons’ viewing pleasure ahead of the global event.

“We don’t want to be caught unawares. During the Olympics last year, we were overwhelmed by the big turn-out as fans prefer watching the event here. We have to ensure everything is in place,” said a proprietor at one such hangout in Eldoret.

Training camps where majority of the national team members train have not been left behind as coaches and training partners makes all efforts to ensure they don’t miss a single event from Moscow.

This is a very anxious moment for the coaches and families of the athletes in Team Kenya.  They are keeping their fingers crossed, and praying for podium finishes.

“I am going to renew our subscription for our Dstv tomorrow. This is the time of the season when athletes are glued to the TV. It is also the time for coaches to showcase the mistakes and technical blunders that can occure in major championships like this,” said Charles Okudul from the KipKeino High Performance Training Centre.

In Iten, where the marathon team trained for the Championship that starts  tomorrow with the women’s marathon and 10,000m final, the script is similar.

“We shall be cheering the team from our houses. It is an anxious moment for fans. But we have everything in place,” said marathoner Wilson Kipsang’, the proprietor of Keelu Resort where the marathoners camped.