Everyone around the globe knows how good Kenyan athletes are, particularly in long distance races. However, despite bagging numerous medals at World championships events, the 10,000m gold medal has eluded Kenya for 21 years now.
Charles Waweru Kamathi was the last Kenyan athlete to win the elusive medal during the 2001 IAAF World Athletics Championships staged in Edmonton, Canada. Since then, the likes of Geoffrey Kamworor and Paul Tanui have unsuccessfully tried to match him.
Kamathi’s story of triumph is that of endurance, calculations and team work. The Njogu-Ini Secondary School alumni won Kenya’s last 10,000m gold medal in a fantastic fashion outpacing the likes of Ethiopian legend Haile Gebrsselassie and Assefa Mezgebu.
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According to the former Kenya Police and Toyota Club runner, the win came courtesy of sacrifice, and strategy. Waweru who defeated cross country legend Paul Tergat thrice disclosed that he planned with his team mates John Korir and Paul Kosgei to destabilize their rivals.
Although Korir and Kosgei finished eighth and seventh respectively in that race, Kamathi crossed the finish line first, making sure the world hears Kenya’s national anthem.
In a recent interview with one of the local dailies, Waweru stated that Kenya has what it takes to win the 10,000m World Championships gold medal - they only have to calculate and finish strongly.
“We have good athletes in the distance and we can bag medals but coaches need to work on the finishing power of their runners in the last lap. An athlete has to get endurance to sustain him on the last lap and also have speed which will in the end bring results,”
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I watched the 10,000m race during the national trials and if you saw how Kibiwott Kandie finished the race, at high speed, that is what can work in Eugene. Those selected in the team should just sprint to win the race,” Kamathi told Nation Sports
The only time Kenyans came close to winning the 10,000m race was at the 2015 World Championships when Geoffrey Kamworor registered a second place finish behind Britain’s Mo Farah.
At the 2019 Doha games, Rhonex Kipruto settled for bronze in a race won by Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei.
The answer to whether Kenya will break the jinx or not at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Oregon will be provided on Sunday, when Japan-based Stanley Waithaka, Rodgers Kwemoi and Daniel Mateiko take on some of the world’s best athletes over the distance.
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