Limited exposure and poor training facilities derailed Kenya’s Indoor ambitions

It was a show of class, but not for Kenyan stars at the just concluded World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China. The Kenyan contingent comprising of  five men and women apiece failed to clinch any medal with the best result being Susan Ejore reaching the 1,500m final where she finished fifth.

Last year’s indoor champs in Glasgow was something to be proud of if compared to Nanjing25 as Kenya bagged a 3.000m bronze medal thanks to the women’s 3,000m steeplechase record holder Beatrice Chepkoech.

Kenya’s struggles at the indoor championships stem from lack of proper training facilities, poor preparations, and limited exposure to indoor racing.

“The indoor track is very different from what we use outdoors. It demands specific training, especially for athletes competing in an indoor setting for the first time,” said Athletics Kenya (AK) Youth Development Chair Barnaba Korir. “You can’t compare the performance of Americans and other European countries because they have the infrastructure necessary for them to do well.”

He further noted that Ethiopian athletes have proper experience running Indoors as compared to Kenyans: “Ethiopian athletes also are regulars in the Indoors circuits and they feature in races in Europe.”

Ethiopia, Kenya’s biggest rival in distance running, reaffirmed its status as Africa’s indoor powerhouse, ranking third overall with five medals (two gold and three silver). The United States dominated the championships with 16 medals (six gold, four silver, six bronze), followed by Norway with four (three gold, one bronze).

Kenya’s team coach Vincent Mumo said they did not have adequate time to prepare the athletes: “We had little time to prepare the athletes, but we tried to use it adequately to make the team compete effectively.”

Echoing Korir’s sentiments, Mumo noted that Ejore secured a finals slot, owing to the proper facilities she uses while training in the USA.

“Ejore has experience in running the Indoor circuit in the US, where there are proper facilities. So she was in a better position to secure a slot in the finals, unlike the other athletes,” Mumo said.

Team manager Abdullahi Omar echoed the concerns, highlighting the limited exposure to indoor racing.

“Considering Kenya rarely competes indoors, I believe the team did well. This was not the performance we expected, but given the circumstances, it was commendable,” Omar noted.

The Nanjing25 showpiece marked the start of a busy year for the sport. Three World Athletics Series events will be held this year, all of them in Asia. After the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, Guangzhou will host the World Athletics Relays in May and then the World Athletics Championships will take place in Tokyo in September.

Final figures from Nanjing confirm that 516 athletes participated, comprising 274 men and 242 women. A total of 117 federations across all six continental areas took part in a championships where 32 federation records, three area records, one championship record and three world-leading marks were set.

There were several history makers in Nanjing. Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay broke the championship record to take the women’s 1500m title in 3:54.86, a mark that no other athlete in history has ever bettered indoors.

US sprint hurdler Grant Holloway and Swedish pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis became the first men in their respective disciplines to win three successive world indoor titles. Jakob Ingebrigtsen became just the second man in history to win two individual gold medals at a single World Indoor Championships, taking the 1500m and 3000m titles.