It is quite dreary, time plods away as wiry frames bob up-and-down around a track ;but Kenya's success at the World Championships in Osaka has made athletics that much more viable as a spectator sport.
And as a salve to national pride and an inspiration towards effort and triumph. It's not just the success, but more the stories behind and about them, tales of endurance and courage, of a refusal to accept defeat even when faced with insurmountable odds, and of a determination to constantly improve oneself. I woke up early, and slept late when I needed to, did everything I could to watch the entirety of the Kenyan campaign at the world athletics championships. I saw Catherine Ndereba at 35 prove that she is the very best marathon runner. A former world record holder and now two time world champion, Ndereba's mantelpiece must be creaking under the weight of her laurels. She has won or finished second in every major marathon except for Berlin. A record four-time Boston Marathon winner, two-time Chicago winner, two-time New York runner up and two-time London runner-up, she proved yesterday that even under the hardest conditions her spirit is simply indefatigable. Running under conditions so cruel they sent several athletes to hospital, Ndereba endured punishment so severe it caused her to finish in her slowest time ever.
The men's marathon was won by a less prolific Luke Kibet, but in a manner so emphatic it may make its way into movies. Kibet was so far head of the rest of the field, on a hot and humid morning that threw 29 runners out of the race, that he had to turn completely around and look to see where the rest of the field was. Perhaps he thought he had gone the wrong way, but whatever explanations he gave himself, he continued to outclass the rest of the field so much so that even as he finished the last 400m lap in the stadium and embarked on his victory lap, he was still the only runner in the stadium.  | Next, to Alfred Yego of the 800m, who has in recent times won only two races. The first win came in his semi-final heat. The second was the gold medal which he showed supreme determination to win, coming as he did from behind to pip the Canadian race leader at the line. His sublime sprint finish was even more outstanding given the fact that he could only manage to finish in third place at the nationals in Nairobi. Yego who is only twenty seems to have all to go for and with the Olympics not too far off, may have an opportunity to prove that his victory was not a mere flash in the pan. As will Janeth Jepkosgei , with who Yego has recently been training. The 24 year old became the first Kenyan woman to win an event at the World Championships. Like Ndereba and Kibet, she did so in emphatic style crossing the finish line many meters ahead of her rivals. It was fitting that Jepkosgei should open the gates to a golden future for Kenyan women in athletics; she was last year crowned the Kenyan Sportswoman of the Year. Her times show a steady progression upwards, and maybe she will be the one to break the 800m record that has stood unthreatened since the year of her birth. 
| | altogether now
all images, IAAF.org | And to the steeplechase, whose winners perhaps do not surprise us or give us as much joy as they should, having been spoiled by decades of dominance of national success in this race. Arms aloft, Brimin Kiprop Kipruto led a one-two-three finish that emphasized a continued domination of the event by Kenyans. In the end it was Kenya's most successful outing at the world championships, eclipsing the previous best that was Tokyo in 1991. The record 5 gold medals and a total tally of 14 saw Kenya finish in second place behind the USA; and that is not counting all the Kenyans winning under flags-of-convenience. |
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