by Justin Lagat
Kenya’s team to the World Indoor Championships is already back in the country after what Athletics Kenya (AK) officials termed in their press release as a “brave battle” at the just-concluded championships in Nanjing. They were welcomed warmly and congratulated on their outstanding efforts.
Kenya did not win any medals at the championships, a rare occurrence in which Kenya’s flag fails to feature on the Medal Table page in a global athletics event.
The team for this year’s edition was led by manager Abdullahi Omar, alongside coaches Vincent Mumo and Janeth Jepkosgei, the 2007 World Champion and 2008 Olympic 800m silver medalist.
On Tuesday, March 25th, 2025, as AK welcomed the athletes back, AK chair for youth development Barnaba Korir praised the squad for its resilience despite not securing any medals.
“This morning, we welcomed the team from China at Riadha house. We appreciate their performance. Whenever an athlete goes out to compete, their hope is always to do well, especially to win. They may not have won but they represented the country very well and we are proud of their performance,” Korir said.
Omar, who managed the team to the championships, acknowledged that competing at the World Indoors has always been challenging for Kenya due to the country’s limited exposure to indoor racing.
“I think the performance was wonderful. That’s not what we expected when we left the country. Kenya most of the time does not compete indoors so the performance was very commendable,” Omar said.
While praising the athletes for doing well despite the challenges, Coach Mumo highlighted the lack of proper indoor training facilities as a major hurdle that affected the athletes’ preparation.
“We went to China to win, but because this is a championship, every country was there to win. So, in a championship, you either win or lose. Our performance was good, and the athletes tried their best,” he said.
Collins Kipruto, who was the team captain, commended his teammates for giving their all.
“The competition was good. We did our best according to our abilities,” said Kipruto.
However, while all the statements above, mostly touching on the country’s lack of indoor training facilities, appear genuine, a few questions remain to be answered.
Did Kenya have good indoor training facilities when the likes of Hellen Obiri, Caleb Ndiku, and Bernard Lagat became World Indoor champions while representing Kenya?
Does Ethiopia, which borders Kenya but placed third on the medal table with two gold medals, have good indoor facilities?
With 10 gold medals, 15 silver medals, and 17 bronze medals from past indoor championships, can we just accept that this was the best Kenya could do at a World Indoor Championships?
While the athletes gave their best and the officials who accompanied them also did their job diligently and to their best, it is also clear that something needs to be done better if Kenya is to win medals at the World Indoor Championships again in the future.
