Nipate
Forum => Kenya Discussion => Topic started by: RV Pundit on August 25, 2015, 06:24:04 PM
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Leading the table..with 9 medals.
Nicholas Bett 400m hurdles in addition to Yego expected medal in non-kenyan event...show we have greater depth than we thought. I forsee in the future..kenyans sweeping the medal in nearly all events. Thanks to incredible kalenjin strength. It for scientist to study the physiology and psychology that makes Kalenjin such incredible althetes.
http://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-championships/15th-iaaf-world-championships-4875/medaltable
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At this rate we will soon conquer 400m and 4×400m. I remember in high school we had this dude from RV who won every race from 400m onwards to marathon, high jump, long jump with so much ease.... I think it's deep in their genes...
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Kenya has done very well in this tournament. Nicholas Bett is proof that there is some talent that can be world class in the shorter races, if some effort is made to identify it. There is very weak to non-existent support infrastructure for short races in Kenya.
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According to media two Kenyan athletes Joy zakari and Francesca Koki have failed the doping tests at the Beijing World Championships.
Giving Kenya a bad name. One bad apple can spoil a whole bunch.
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Zakari should receive a life ban now..she been doping forever. KA should have done a good job to catch her before she boarded that plane. Yes give Kenya bad reputation only she was never going to medal anyway.
According to media two Kenyan athletes Joy zakari and Francesca Koki have failed the doping tests at the Beijing World Championships.
Giving Kenya a bad name. One bad apple can spoil a whole bunch.
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.... lm keenly watching and waiting to see how CNN and sky will emphasise more on the dope issue rather than Kenya topping the medal table.... The U.S. will not simply accept defeat....
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According to media two Kenyan athletes Joy zakari and Francesca Koki have failed the doping tests at the Beijing World Championships.
Giving Kenya a bad name. One bad apple can spoil a whole bunch.
Very shameful. In many places on, this is now leading commentary on the Kenyan's performance.
Athletics Kenya should get serious about this. With events like Olympics and World Championship, it should be possible, given the relatively small numbers, to test all the athletes before they get to the event and cause international embarrassment.
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According to media two Kenyan athletes Joy zakari and Francesca Koki have failed the doping tests at the Beijing World Championships.
Giving Kenya a bad name. One bad apple can spoil a whole bunch.
Very shameful. In many places on, this is now leading commentary on the Kenyan's performance.
Athletics Kenya should get serious about this. With events like Olympics and World Championship, it should be possible, given the relatively small numbers, to test all the athletes before they get to the event and cause international embarrassment.
That's right. A google search for Kenya Beijing iaaf and the leading stories are the drugs.
The real beef I have with drugs is the Jamaicans. The Usain Bolts and Asafa Powells of this world. Usain Bolt literally walked to victory, the last half of the 200m semi-finals. Coming back from injury.
The reason people like Gatlin got caught is because the US diligently carries out random tests on their athletes.
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Just last month we had the ARD story on doping among some Kenyan athletics. Here is what Athetics Kenya had to say in response:
“The timing of the libellous report contained in almost half of the 55 minute documentary which alleges widespread systematic doping in Kenya is extremely suspect and ill motivated, coming on the day we selected our team for the IAAF World Championships.”
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The national governing body threatened legal action against ARD ...
http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/sports/2015/08/02/athletics-kenya-ard-dope-report-is-libel/
It is possible that the story was over the top, but the reaction was not the best.
ARD has now waded back into the foray, and with a claim that even Kenyans might easily find credible---that some officials in AK eat chicken and in return allow athletes to get around the tests:
German state broadcaster ARD reported that some Kenyan athletes "were warned ahead of unannounced doping tests and a banned runner accused athletics officials of demanding money to hide positive tests," according to Karolos Grohmann of REUTERS
http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Global/Issues/2015/08/26/Leagues-and-Governing-Bodies/Kenyan-athletes.aspx
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Drugs accusation on kenyan are sour grapes. The gold winning kenyans are some of the most tested athletes because they compete nearly every month or week in major international meets.
Apart from the Kitale chick who won the Chicago marathons severally, all the cheats have been local non-starters who are intersted in local meets...
I don't think Usain Bolt..Usain body structure...is very much why he is winning...In the future..we will see althetes of Usain shape....sort of kalenjin with heavy build...win the short races.
US have the most dopers going for gold....and always has...and most of their golds have been withdrawn later.
Kenya success is plain down to superior genetics...and hardwork of course.
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Drugs accusation on kenyan are sour grapes. The gold winning kenyans are some of the most tested athletes because they compete nearly every month or week in major international meets.
Apart from the Kitale chick who won the Chicago hits, all the cheats have been local non-starters who are intersted in local meets...
I don't think Usain Bolt..Usain body structure...is very much why he is winning...In the future..we will see althetes of Usain shape....sort of kalenjin with heavy build...win the short races.
US have the most dopers going for gold....and always has...and most of their golds have been written late.
Kenya success is plain down to superior genetics...and hardwork of course.
When the Americans catch their dopers they punish them. A few come to mind. Marion Jones, Tyson Gay. Justin Gatlin. I feel Gatlin might be cashing in on his previous doping.
The reason I bring up Jamaicans is precisely because of the genetics argument. It cannot be made for why they have done better than the US in recent years. They are the same breed. Their testing regime is to put it simple far from satisfactory.
The main difference being better facilities and monitoring system in place in the US. A legitimate argument could be made that potential US champion athletes end up in more lucrative sports like football; but I consider it a weak argument.
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We can never agree on matter perceptions. I say until someone is caught doping, then they are not doping. US have been caught dopping, not neccesarily by US authorities, but by WADA. Athletes competing at the very top are tested rigorously...eventually they will make a mistake and they will be found out.
I think rest of Jamaica squad are doing about what US or Caribbean or Nigeria or name any country sprinters are doing.....except for Usain Bolt. For Usain Bolt..I think it down to his build. Usain is 6, 5 althete with a kalenjin like body...that is going to be hard to beat in matter althetics...he just cover more ground.
When the Americans catch their dopers they punish them. A few come to mind. Marion Jones, Tyson Gay. Justin Gatlin. I feel Gatlin might be cashing in on his previous doping.
The reason I bring up Jamaicans is precisely because of the genetics argument. It cannot be made for why they have done better than the US in recent years. They are the same breed. Their testing regime is to put it simple far from satisfactory.
The main difference being better facilities and monitoring system in place in the US. A legitimate argument could be made that potential US champion athletes end up in more lucrative sports like football; but I consider it a weak argument.
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Drugs accusation on kenyan are sour grapes.
That, which is how Athletics Kenya has preferred to look at it, is a problematic view right now, when two people have just been thrown out of the World Championships because of doping.
It is also unhelpful given that the real issue is the damage down to the overall reputation of the team, which includes many innocent athletes. For example, right now a few people have even raised questions about Bett---supposedly that a country supposedly not known for 400m runners has suddenly produced one at that level.
There have also been statements by well-known Kenyan athletes themselves that point to a serious problem somewhere:
"It's high time AK stands up and tells Kenyans the truth about (doping). They have been dodging the truth for long, which has seen them give foreigners fodder to tarnish Kenya," added Silas Kiplagat, who won 1500m silver at the 2011 world championships.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/reuters/article-3189476/In-Kenyas-running-heartlands-doping-claims-threaten-livelihoods.html
Moses Kiptanui:
"Officials, athletes and their managers are conspiring to cheat. Money, big money, is changing hands to beat the course of fairness," Kiptanui, 44, told Reuters.
"When I raised the red flag a few years ago, officials condemned me... I was a top athlete and I knew what was going on. I am being vindicated," added Kiptanui at his department store in the north western town of Eldoret, where he also runs a chain of businesses including real estate.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/12/18/uk-athletics-kenya-doping-idUKKBN0JW1EF20141218
Three-times world 3,000 meters steeplechase champion Moses Kiptanui said on Friday doping was taking place in Kenyan running camps.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/15/us-athletics-doping-kenya-idUSBRE91E11V20130215
One should not blithely dismiss such remarks when people continue to get caught. A much better approach is for both athletes and AK to directly and promptly tackle the problem and deal with the rotten few.
I'm glad that people like Rudisha have seen the danger and have been speaking vigorously about it even before this:
http://zeenews.india.com/sports/others/kenyas-david-rudisha-says-doping-wrecking-national-reputation_1514526.html
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We can never agree on matter perceptions. I say until someone is caught doping, then they are not doping. US have been caught dopping, not neccesarily by US authorities, but by WADA. Athletes competing at the very top are tested rigorously...eventually they will make a mistake and they will be found out.
I think rest of Jamaica squad are doing about what US or Caribbean or Nigeria or name any country sprinters are doing.....except for Usain Bolt. For Usain Bolt..I think it down to his build. Usain is 6, 5 althete with a kalenjin like body...that is going to be hard to beat in matter althetics...he just cover more ground.
When the Americans catch their dopers they punish them. A few come to mind. Marion Jones, Tyson Gay. Justin Gatlin. I feel Gatlin might be cashing in on his previous doping.
The reason I bring up Jamaicans is precisely because of the genetics argument. It cannot be made for why they have done better than the US in recent years. They are the same breed. Their testing regime is to put it simple far from satisfactory.
The main difference being better facilities and monitoring system in place in the US. A legitimate argument could be made that potential US champion athletes end up in more lucrative sports like football; but I consider it a weak argument.
I believe Americans start the drug testing regime from a very early age and are thorough about it. Marion Jones was not outed by WADA. The US doping agency(USADA) first caught her earlier but cleared her after testing a second sample. She went to jail for lying to Federal agents about it. Tyson Gay was also caught by USADA. As was Gatlin. WADA was simply not up to speed with their doping.
I also like to believe that the athletes are clean. But I think it helps if their national associations can be seen to be trustworthy to see to it that they are in fact clean.
As for physique, I think Bolt's physique is the antithesis of the Kalenjin running physique. Long distance runners are usually very diminutive in size. Sprinters need to pack on muscle mass to favor power over endurance over shorter distances.
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Drugs accusation on kenyan are sour grapes.
That, which is how Athletics Kenya has preferred to look at it, is a problematic view right now, when two people have just been thrown out of the World Championships because of doping.
It is also unhelpful given that the real issue is the damage down to the overall reputation of the team, which includes many innocent athletes. For example, right now a few people have even raised questions about Bett---supposedly that a country supposedly not known for 400m runners has suddenly produced one at that level.
There have also been statements by well-known Kenyan athletes themselves that point to a serious problem somewhere:
"It's high time AK stands up and tells Kenyans the truth about (doping). They have been dodging the truth for long, which has seen them give foreigners fodder to tarnish Kenya," added Silas Kiplagat, who won 1500m silver at the 2011 world championships.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/reuters/article-3189476/In-Kenyas-running-heartlands-doping-claims-threaten-livelihoods.html (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/reuters/article-3189476/In-Kenyas-running-heartlands-doping-claims-threaten-livelihoods.html)
Moses Kiptanui:
"Officials, athletes and their managers are conspiring to cheat. Money, big money, is changing hands to beat the course of fairness," Kiptanui, 44, told Reuters.
"When I raised the red flag a few years ago, officials condemned me... I was a top athlete and I knew what was going on. I am being vindicated," added Kiptanui at his department store in the north western town of Eldoret, where he also runs a chain of businesses including real estate.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/12/18/uk-athletics-kenya-doping-idUKKBN0JW1EF20141218 (http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/12/18/uk-athletics-kenya-doping-idUKKBN0JW1EF20141218)
Three-times world 3,000 meters steeplechase champion Moses Kiptanui said on Friday doping was taking place in Kenyan running camps.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/15/us-athletics-doping-kenya-idUSBRE91E11V20130215 (http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/15/us-athletics-doping-kenya-idUSBRE91E11V20130215)
One should not blithely dismiss such remarks when people continue to get caught. A much better approach is for both athletes and AK to directly and promptly tackle the problem and deal with the rotten few.
I'm glad that people like Rudisha have seen the danger and have been speaking vigorously about it even before this:
http://zeenews.india.com/sports/others/kenyas-david-rudisha-says-doping-wrecking-national-reputation_1514526.html (http://zeenews.india.com/sports/others/kenyas-david-rudisha-says-doping-wrecking-national-reputation_1514526.html)
AK should not be defensive about doping. That should be left to Kenyans on Twitter. Their job is to be pissed off by the dopers, and put in place a no-nonsense policy for making sure this does not happen again.
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Windy, how comes the two kenyans doppers were found positive in China.AK cannot go around the country testing 10,000 (lower number) athletes; those holding competitions should do the testing; many russians, us, turkey and north african have tested positives; and nobody is blaming russia or turkey;
The point is simple; before althetes compete in any event; they are tested; and eventually the dopers will get nabbed. The dopers are easy to pin down because they suddenly come out of nowhere. Most kenyan athletes have solid records.......starting from primary schools when they go straight to compete in world juniors...their blood and urine are probably in every major capital of the world..including the US..where USADA....do test them.
Besides US lead coach under the Nike Oregon project is under dopping allegation..where is USADA?
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Kenya has done very well in this tournament. Nicholas Bett is proof that there is some talent that can be world class in the shorter races, if some effort is made to identify it. There is very weak to non-existent support infrastructure for short races in Kenya.
I would agree in toto. It seems to me that Bett benefited immensely from his exposure to better environment or conditions in Finland -- the facilities, technical coaching, sports medicine, psychologists, well balanced diet, proper gym workout routine, etc. These are things that the Kenyans should be investing in.
Bett could be one of those freak type athletes in the mould of, say, the late Ugandan great John Akii-Bua or Zambia's Samuel Matete.
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The twin brother rans the hurdles too.
http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/athletics/Nicholas-Bett-400-Metres-IAAF-World-Championships/-/1100/2849212/-/uun5eaz/-/index.html
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Windy, how comes the two kenyans doppers were found positive in China.AK cannot go around the country testing 10,000 (lower number) athletes; those holding competitions should do the testing; many russians, us, turkey and north african have tested positives; and nobody is blaming russia or turkey;
The point is simple; before althetes compete in any event; they are tested; and eventually the dopers will get nabbed. The dopers are easy to pin down because they suddenly come out of nowhere. Most kenyan athletes have solid records.......starting from primary schools when they go straight to compete in world juniors...their blood and urine are probably in every major capital of the world..including the US..where USADA....do test them.
Besides US lead coach under the Nike Oregon project is under dopping allegation..where is USADA?
They were naive. The fellows who get caught in those situations are truly naive. If you know when you are going to be tested, you should never be caught.
Random testing with little prior warning is the only sure bet. One just has to trust the fellows entrusted with testing from each respective nation. I don't know if USADA is even allowed to test a foreign athlete based in the US; I suspect they are not.
Generally I don't think doping is a widespread problem in Kenya, but I could be wrong. They would probably be caught the way those two have been caught. It might be trickier for guys training abroad.
On a different note, I have noticed 2 new faces from RSA doing sub-10 100 meters. Henrico Bruntjies and Akani Simbine. And another one, Jobodwana, suddenly beating everyone but Usain Bolt and Justin Gatlin in the 200m. Very intriguing.
I have seen people from those part of Africa running like machines before, usually playing rugby. Still it bears watching characters like those closely. Why suddenly now and not before?
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Windy, how comes the two kenyans doppers were found positive in China.AK cannot go around the country testing 10,000 (lower number) athletes; those holding competitions should do the testing; many russians, us, turkey and north african have tested positives; and nobody is blaming russia or turkey;
That's not how would look at it. As I see it, the key point is perceptions. And it is important to note that perceptions do not necessarily have to match reality: the fact that most Kenyan athletes do not dope will not matter much if the world believes that they do.
Why is that important?
If there is one thing that unites Kenyans, especially across the never-ending issue of tribe, it is the pride they take in their athletes on the world stage, the best of whom actually come from just one or two tribes. That pride, in turn, comes from how the rest of the world sees Kenyan athletes, a view that is reinforced every time I listen to commentary on Kenyans in action. So the first thing that has to be recognized is that athletics (especially track) means something much more to Kenyans than to Russians or Turks. The second is that if Kenyans get to be seen by the rest of the world as a bunch of dopers, then much of what is positive will disappear; and, as I have noted, it is the perception that matters. And a third point is that even if it could be argued that 50% (or even 100%) or Russian and Turk athletes are dopers, it would not (a) stop the ongoing worldwide comments on the caught Kenyans, or (b) reduce any reputational damage, or (c) reduce the obligations that Athletics Kenya must discharge.
Kenya is not being blamed here. The parties being blamed are the dopers and Athletics Kenya, which, so far has taken a casual attitude to the problem and has in fact been hostile to those (including some Kenyans) who pointed it out.
We need to be mindful of the fact that on the international stage, Kenya really has just two things: runners and tea. A post-mayhem Sri Lanka and some "creative blending" on the Kenyan side---at night, as Ms. Waiguru would probably put it---aren't doing much for the "tea portfolio". So ...
AK cannot go around the country testing 10,000
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those holding competitions should do the testing;
...
The point is simple; before althetes compete in any event; they are tested; and eventually the dopers will get nabbed.
And who is to do the testing? As I see it, the onus is on those with the most to lose. Right now, the organizers of the WC are being praised for doing a good job in catching doping cheats while the dopers and those who sent them there are taking a lot of flak.
AK does not have to test 10,000. But if it chooses a small handful to represent the country on a major international stage, then it has certain obligations. So, did AK test every athlete they sent to Beijing?
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Kenya has done very well in this tournament. Nicholas Bett is proof that there is some talent that can be world class in the shorter races, if some effort is made to identify it. There is very weak to non-existent support infrastructure for short races in Kenya.
I would agree in toto. It seems to me that Bett benefited immensely from his exposure to better environment or conditions in Finland -- the facilities, technical coaching, sports medicine, psychologists, well balanced diet, proper gym workout routine, etc. These are things that the Kenyans should be investing in.
Bett could be one of those freak type athletes in the mould of, say, the late Ugandan great John Akii-Bua or Zambia's Samuel Matete.
I was listening to some radio discussion on the WC, in which commentary Bett's performance came up. Where did he come from? Was he doping or not?
One of the people who responded made an interesting observation: If you look back at Kenyan athletics in the 70s (and even early 80s), you will find quite a few talented hurdlers at that distance. But there was never any concerted effort to develop such talent, and much of it got dissipated; instead, most of the effort went into middle and long distance track events. The commentator had his doubts in Kenyans doing straight 400m (which requires muscular brute force) but thought there is a lot of potential in the hurdles. Who knows.
In fact, even at 800m, a guy like Rudisha now is something like an oddball. And forget field events.
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How so? Last I checked Kenyans have always won a medal in 800m....with or without Rudisha. In fact since Chelimo time...we have done well in both men and women 800m. As for field events....apart from shot put...I don't see why kenyans cannot do well in high jump, javelin and poll volt...those are classic kenyan events..that we need to own. All you need is one training center akin to what you have in Iten...and you have a pipeline of raw talent...coming through primary and secondary competitions.
In fact, even at 800m, a guy like Rudisha now is something like an oddball. And forget field events.
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And what do we stand to lose in this perception game exactly! As long as Kenyan althetes are allowed to compete; nothing. AK should do it job but more importantly WADA and those in charge of any competition or say marathon can demand for rigorous testings. Nothing stops Chicago Marathon from demanding random testings before and after as condition to getting the price money.
Anything else in this "perception" game would be self-defeatist. You cannot punish athletes thanks to AK ineptitude. And there is no much we can do about AK or IAAF.
Kenyans should be proud of their success.....sour grapes or not.
Windy, how comes the two kenyans doppers were found positive in China.AK cannot go around the country testing 10,000 (lower number) athletes; those holding competitions should do the testing; many russians, us, turkey and north african have tested positives; and nobody is blaming russia or turkey;
That's not how would look at it. As I see it, the key point is perceptions. And it is important to note that perceptions do not necessarily have to match reality: the fact that most Kenyan athletes do not dope will not matter much if the world believes that they do.
Why is that important?
If there is one thing that unites Kenyans, especially across the never-ending issue of tribe, it is the pride they take in their athletes on the world stage, the best of whom actually come from just one or two tribes. That pride, in turn, comes from how the rest of the world sees Kenyan athletes, a view that is reinforced every time I listen to commentary on Kenyans in action. So the first thing that has to be recognized is that athletics (especially track) means something much more to Kenyans than to Russians or Turks. The second is that if Kenyans get to be seen by the rest of the world as a bunch of dopers, then much of what is positive will disappear; and, as I have noted, it is the perception that matters. And a third point is that even if it could be argued that 50% (or even 100%) or Russian and Turk athletes are dopers, it would not (a) stop the ongoing worldwide comments on the caught Kenyans, or (b) reduce any reputational damage, or (c) reduce the obligations that Athletics Kenya must discharge.
Kenya is not being blamed here. The parties being blamed are the dopers and Athletics Kenya, which, so far has taken a casual attitude to the problem and has in fact been hostile to those (including some Kenyans) who pointed it out.
We need to be mindful of the fact that on the international stage, Kenya really has just two things: runners and tea. A post-mayhem Sri Lanka and some "creative blending" on the Kenyan side---at night, as Ms. Waiguru would probably put it---aren't doing much for the "tea portfolio". So ...
AK cannot go around the country testing 10,000
...
those holding competitions should do the testing;
...
The point is simple; before althetes compete in any event; they are tested; and eventually the dopers will get nabbed.
And who is to do the testing? As I see it, the onus is on those with the most to lose. Right now, the organizers of the WC are being praised for doing a good job in catching doping cheats while the dopers and those who sent them there are taking a lot of flak.
AK does not have to test 10,000. But if it chooses a small handful to represent the country on a major international stage, then it has certain obligations. So, did AK test every athlete they sent to Beijing?
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How so? Last I checked Kenyans have always won a medal in 800m....with or without Rudisha. In fact since Chelimo time...we have done well in both men and women 800m.
We could go back and forth on this. The fact is that whatever international reputation Kenyans have in athletics is largely from 1500m and above. (Please note the emphasis.) Internationally, Kenyan athletes generally do not have a huge reputation at 800m and below. They might even "always win medals", but even then, if it were so, there it is: perception again.
As for field events....apart from shot put...I don't see why kenyans cannot do well in high jump, javelin and poll volt...
Nor do I. But right now, for the most part they don't. At least not at the highest levels.
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And what do we stand to lose in this perception game exactly! As long as Kenyan althetes are allowed to compete; nothing.
Once again, you have neatly captured Athletics Kenya's attitude. Why has a person like Rudisha has, even before this, had some strong words on the matter?
We could go back and forth, arguing about whether perceptions matter, but the fact is that they do. And not just in athletics. What's more, perceptions frequently have concrete consequences, regardless of whether fair or not.
Nothing stops Chicago Marathon from demanding random testings before and after as condition to getting the price money.
True. Other than the fact that people won't be keen to pay to watch "dope fiends", let us consider the case of someone like Jeptoo. One may argue that the organizers of this of that marathon should have tested her, but there she is: out in the cold. And the marathon organizers?
You cannot punish athletes thanks to AK ineptitude.
Nobody is proposing anything of the sort. What people like Rudisha, and others whose opinions cannot be easily dismissed, are pointing out is that AK's incompetence leads to a situation where all are tarred with the same brush.
And there is no much we can do about AK or IAAF.
Perhaps not about the IAAF. But who actually pays for AK? Why can Kenyans not insist that AK do a better job at monitoring those that it selects to represent Kenya on the international stage?
Kenyans should be proud of their success.....sour grapes or not.
Kenyans should indeed be proud. But sour grapes on whose part? Dope-up Kenyans have been caught at the World Championships, and it has caused a stir all over. Would it have been different if Jamaicans or Americans or ... were the ones that got caught?
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You must be smoking something illegal. Kenya is known from 800m-all the way up. Other countries have been trying to encroach into 800m (Aman is probably the first Ethiopian to challenge and Botswana dude is odd mall...and last non-kenya threat in 800m was maybe Sudan dude).
Just name a non-kenyan who has kicked arse in 800m. WR record after COE was with Kipketer then Rudisha. No other country has done well in 800m since 1980s than kenya.
You really have big perception issues. 800m is kenyan as it get.My village mate I think still has junior world record. Some of greatest 800m runners recently are kenya Bungei, Japtheth Kimutai,Alfred Yego..
We could go back and forth on this. The fact is that whatever international reputation Kenyans have in athletics is largely from 1500m and above. (Please note the emphasis.) Internationally, Kenyan athletes generally do not have a huge reputation at 800m and below. They might even "always win medals", but even then, if it were so, there it is: perception again.
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Great performance from our Kenyan men in the 1500M this morning!
Other videos this morning:
My girl Allyson Felix showed up in the women's 4x400m Final, but the rest of her teammates were disappointing to watch. Them Jamaican women really rose up this morning.
Finally the U.S. men's 4x400-meter relay team showed up. LaShawn Merritt anchored the U.S. to a sixth straight world title
On a positive note, our Kenyan team won the world championships with a record-breaking seven golds.
http://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-championships/15th-iaaf-world-championships-4875/medaltable
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You must be smoking something illegal. Kenya is known from 800m-all the way up. Other countries have been trying to encroach into 800m (Aman is probably the first Ethiopian to challenge and Botswana dude is odd mall...and last non-kenya threat in 800m was maybe Sudan dude).
Just name a non-kenyan who has kicked arse in 800m. WR record after COE was with Kipketer then Rudisha. No other country has done well in 800m since 1980s than kenya.
You really have big perception issues. 800m is kenyan as it get.My village mate I think still has junior world record. Some of greatest 800m runners recently are kenya Bungei, Japtheth Kimutai,Alfred Yego..
We could go back and forth on this. The fact is that whatever international reputation Kenyans have in athletics is largely from 1500m and above. (Please note the emphasis.) Internationally, Kenyan athletes generally do not have a huge reputation at 800m and below. They might even "always win medals", but even then, if it were so, there it is: perception again.
Botswanans and folks from around that region actually seem to do well in the longer sprints. So Nijel is not such an oddball.
I find Nicholas Bett interesting. If I were to start off training him, his body structure would have placed him in the 800m. He is a classic 800m physique.
The way ability can transfer, I could see 400m hurdles being as demanding as the 800 race. So depending on focus, Bett could have been a formidable 800m runner. Same with Rudisha and the 400m hurdles.