by Larry Eder
4x800m hand off (Sowinski), photo by The Shoe Addicts, Mike Deering
Justin Lagat sent this piece mid day in the Bahamas, and it puts Kenyan track fan’s frustrations on the table (to be ball park frank, our US drops of 4×200 meter batons was infuriating and amazing, in Justin Gatlin’s great run).
Dismal performance by Kenyan team at the IAAF World Relays
The least that most Kenyan fans expected from the Kenyan team to the world relays in Nassau Bahamas was four gold medals especially in both the men and women Distance Medley Relay and the 4 x 800m teams, given the superiority of Kenyan athletes generally in the middle distance events.
However, the absence of star athletes in the team was noticeable and costed the country dearly. David Rudisha, Silas Kiplagat and Eunice Sum, among others did not participate in the trials to select the team. Asbel Kiprop too pulled out of the team a few days to the day of travel citing a slight injury, which he posted on his official FaceBook Page (Asbel Kiprop’s Page). “Not likely to travel to Bahamas slightly pulled my hamstring during training today. Thanks to Dr. Peter Nduhiu. For attending me. Best of luck to Team Kenya,” was what he had posted.
Unlike Kenya, other countries had their best athletes representing them. Notable ones included Usain Bolt of Jamaica and Justin Gatlin of the US, among many others.
Apparently, it was not only the absence of the top athletes in the Kenyan team that led to the dismal performance, but it would seem as though there was no effective preparations leading up to the major event given what happened in the men’s teams.
Out of all the four events that the Kenyan men had been entered, they were only able to successfully complete one of them. In three events, the men’s 4 x 200m, 4 x 400m and in the 4 x 800m, the Kenyan men teams were disqualified due to mistakes by athletes in handing over the battons. Mistakes like these usually happen in relay competitions, but when it happens three times to a single country in such a big competition, it becomes a matter of concern. One cannot help but wonder whether adequate drills on how to pass the baton were done at the national training camp.
The Kenyan team came home with only two Silver medals won in the men and women Distance Medley Relays. The women’s 4 x 800m team finished 8th in the finals while the men’s 4 x 400m team did not reach the finals after they finished 5th in the heats.
After this experience for Kenya at the world relays, Kenyan fans can only hope that something is done so that Kenyan athletes can focus on the world championship events more seriously and let the Kenyan flag be raised severally in such events as it has always been at the other IAAF major events.
