Kenya at the 2008 Beijing Olympics

Kenya Sports

Beijing 2008 where Kenya went right

It was a stellar performance by Kenyan athletes at the 2008 Olympics which ended up with a 14 medal haul: 5 gold, 5 silver and 4 bronze. Of note was the strong performance by Kenyan women who had never won Olympic gold prior to these Olympics. Four years ago, this column lamented the fact that Kenya had only won 1 gold medal at the Athens games and no one seemed bothered, nothing was being done about it. This years performance lifted the spirits of Kenyans, many of whom are still reeling from the events of December 2007 and January 2008.

Catherine "the great" Ndereba opened Kenya's medal account with a silver medal. Her longevity and consistency at this event are unmatched. She has won gold or silver at every global event since 2003. This is a rare feat in an event where runners often fade quickly and rarely win consistently at global championships. Catherine the great seems to excel in all conditions, rain, humidity, steep hills, intense heat cold etc. Other marathoners generally do well only in certain conditions. The unstoppable duo of Pamela Jelimo and Janeth Jepkosgei left the rest of the field gasping for breath as they went 1-2. A historic feat for any nation.

Jelimo and Jepkosgei gave Kenya a meomorable 1-2 finish

Brimin Kipruto saved Kenya from humiliation when he won the 3000m steeplechase. This is an event where Kenyan runners often run unchallenged. This time however, Kipruto grabbed gold at the last 50m after the French silver medalist had taken the lead. Ezekiel Kemboi inexplicably faded. Perhaps he did not react well to blood drawings for dope testing. He ran listlessly and looked a far cry from the defending Olympic champion we knew. Richard Matelong was beaten to bronze by the Frenchman. Perhaps AK should have taken Paul Kipsiele Koech as the wildcard entry. He after all is the most talented steepler on the planet today. Nevertheless, there is currently a dearth of great steeplers. Gone are the glory days of the 1990s when runners like Moses Kiptanui, Boit Kipketer, Bernard Barmasai and even Stephen Cherono routinely ran incredibly fast times, mostly under 8 mins.

Wilfred Bungei's win in the 800m was a welcome surprise. many had written him off, after having failed misreably since he won silver at the worlds of 2001. This time however, the experienced Bungei got his tactics right, led from start to finish in every race and won. Nancy Jebet Lagats win in the 1500m was even more of a shocker. No one gave her a chance to end on the podium, perhaps not even herself. Lagat has never won any event of note, not even the All African games. Her patience and "never give up" attitude finally paid dividends.

Nancy Jebet Lagat shocked the world of athletics

In the meantime, Eunice Jepkorir showed her class to win the silver medal on the womens 3000m steeplechase in a new Africa record. Eliud Kipchoge, Micah Kogo, Edwin Soi, Asbel Kiprop, Kirwa Yego all had excellent performances, producing medals in the respective events. Asbel Kiprop's silver was later promoted to gold after the original winner was busted for doping.

Prior to Beijing, Kenya had never won Olympic gold in the marathon as Bob Costas, the NBC talking head constantly reminded his audience. However with Sam Wanjiru and Martin Lel in the race, the odds were good that Kenya would finally win. Wanjiru delivered in classic fashion by pushing the pace and running the rest of the field rugged. He won in an excellent time of 2 hrs and 7 mins, quite a pace considering the heat and humidity in Beijing. And while the rest of the field wilted in the heat, Wanjiru looked as fresh as a daisy at the finish line. The most glorious moment came when Kenya's national anthem was played at the closing ceremony courtesy of Wanjiru. The whole world therefore stood at attention as Kenya's anthem blared on the loudspeakers. Interstingly enough, the classic song "Eswi yo wapi" by Mbilia Bel was playing as Wanjiru ran into the Beijing stadium.

Selecting Wanjiru amongst Kenya's myriad of marathon runners was a stroke of genious. Given that he trains in Japan. Who wins a marathon race is largely dependent on who is based adapated to the terrain and the weather.

Wanjiru ran them rugged

Kenya's success is down to the excellent work being done by grassroots coaches. These coaches are hard at work unearthing new talents and training them. Credit must also go to Athletics Kenya. The 3 month training camp they forced athletes to attend was much maligned by many especially the foreign media and sneering agents but it worked.

Swimmer Jason Dunford became the first Kenyan to hold a world record in swimming, albeit only briefly. He finished a creditable 5th in the 100m butterfly. Dixon Wamwiri and Monica Akinyi acquited themelselves well in Tae Kwon do. The 18 year old Akinyi won one game.

Kenya's 14 medals is quite an achievement considering the fact that South Africa and Egypt each won only one medal and that most African countries have not won a medal in the last 2 or 3 Olympics including the likes of Uganda, Congo, Senegal, Cote'd Ivoire, Zambia, Tanzania etc.

The strength in depth that Kenya has is another impressive aspect. Reserves like David Rudisha, Daniel Komen, Haron Keitany, Paul Koech, Isaac Songok, Robert Cheruyiot and a myriad of other athletes are all potential medalists who could have won in Beijing.

Where Kenya went wrong

All the Kenyan boxers were eliminated in the first round. It is true that Kenya has in the past few years taken some steps towards regaining past glory. However the performance of Kenyan boxers left much to be desired, especially when contrasted with nations like India which won 3 medals in boxing. Olympic boxing is highly tactical. Amateur Boxing Association of Kenya (ABA) has been asleep and as a result, Kenyan boxers have been left behind. They do not know how t score points. Most for example tried to score via body blows for which no points are awarded at the Olympics. the ABA must wake up. Either that or Hon Sambili must institute a new sports policy that allows for the removal of incompetent officials.

Its worth noting that women's boxing will make its debut at the London 2012 games. Knowing this , an astute ABA would start preparing potential boxers now. There are many Konjestina and Fatuma Zarika types who can win medals for Kenya in 2012. But while others prepare, Kenya will likely be fast asleep only to lament in 2012.

Womens boxing will be introduced in 2012 and is a glorious opportunity for Kenya

Kenya is still to dependent on one sport: Athletics. Development programs for other sports such as boxing and the martial arts are needed. Long distance cycling is another event Kenya should be winning medals in, considering the fact that Kenya has several natural endurance athletes.

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