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Kenya: Trackside - Athletics - Curtain Fall On Great Athletics Year
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The Nation (Nairobi)
OPINION
22 December 2007
Posted to the web 21 December 2007
Martin Keino
Nairobi
As 2007 comes to a tumultuous ending, it is that time to reflect and take stock of Kenya's performance in athletics. It will certainly go down as one of the most exciting and memorable years for the sport in recent times. The local highlight of the year had to be the World Cross Country Championships held in Mombasa in March. It was the first time a global competition was ever hosted here and it was a tremendous success despite the searing heat. It proved that Kenya was capable of hosting a major event.
Everything was well organised and well supported too. The Tusker Athletics International Meeting was another big local event that combined entertainment and top class athletics and heralded the end of the local season with much pomp and excitement.
Internationally, the Osaka World Championships were to my mind one of the best we have seen. It was also Kenya's best outing ever with five gold and a total of 13 medals. We saw some fantastic competition and some brilliant races, particularly in the distance events. We also saw the emergence of a new wave of talent that will be around for years to come.
New heroes and heroines were unearthed and older champions continued to exert their dominance on the world scene. So here are my picks for top performers and performances of the year. There were many excellent performers in the men's side but no one was consistent enough to stand out on the track so my vote goes to Martin Lel.
By far the most consistent marathon runner of 2007, Lel won both London and New York Marathon against the toughest competition in the world earning him the honour. His composure and incredible sprint at the end of the marathon were just simply breathtaking!
My vote for best female track athlete is once again Janeth Jepkosgei. Affectionately known as "Eldoret Express", Jepkosgei timed her season to perfection, totally dominating the world championships and becoming the first female middle distance runner from Kenya to win gold.
She continued her good form by winning every single race after the championships and setting fast times along the way. World number one for the second season in a row, she broke her national record twice and ran the fastest time ever in Kenya at the end of her season.
The best junior male award goes to Asbel Kiprop. Kiprop had an incredible year by any standards in 2007. His first ever win - at any level -was the World Cross Country junior title in Mombasa.
That opened up the flood gates to the national 1,500m senior title, All African Games title, the tremendous World Trials win and the 4th place in the Osaka 1,500m final, which he surely should have won had he not changed the strategy that brought him that far. And all this as a fresh faced 18-year-old!
Ruth Bosibori had a fantastic junior year in winning the All African Games title and finished fourth in the World Championships in Osaka and capped off her incredible season by breaking the world junior record in the 3000m steeplechase.
Best breakthrough performance is a tie between Alfred Kirwa Yego and Luke Kibet who both won their races in Osaka by the slimmest and largest margins respectively.
Special mentions go to Catherine "the Great" Ndereba, the most consistent female marathon runner in history who won her second world title, Vivian Cheruiyot the second fastest 5,000m runner in history who also won silver in Osaka and Tom Musinde who broke the national record in the 100m.
With a very successful season over for Kenyan athletics, we can look forward to an exciting year in 2008, a year full with major championships where Kenya looks set to assert it dominance in the world of athletics.
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Wishing you a happy and safe holiday season.
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