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Kenya: Athletics - Country Taken to the Cleaners in 10,000 Meter Race
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The Nation (Nairobi)
2 May 2008
Posted to the web 1 May 2008
Chris Tsuma
Addis Ababa
The Kenyan camp on Thursday woke up to the second day of competition at the Africa Athletics Championships groggy from the thumping visited on the 10,000 metres men's team on a wet and chilly evening at the Addis Ababa Stadium on Wednesday.
The Ethiopians were expected to win this race but the manner in which the imperious Gebregziabher Gebremariam (28 minutes, 17.11 seconds), Ebrahim Jeylan (28:30.66) and Eshetu Wondemu (28:56.26) lorded it over Kenya is more than enough proof that Athletics Kenya has absolutely no clue what to do just to be able to compete respectably against their northern neighbours, let alone beat them.
John Korir (29:07.33) was closest Kenya came to a medal in this non-contest, finishing fourth, well over a minute behind the winner Gebremariam and he believes Kenya will have to produce something special to beat Ethiopia.
"I don't see anything changing even in future races," he said.
"The Ethiopians have mastered our tactics and they know the best thing to do is to destroy us early in the race and as you saw, they had prepared well, they helped each other but we were not able to do that, it was very tough.
"These people look like they are from another planet."
They may well be. Gebremariam and Jeylan lapped Julius Kiptoo (30:12.10). Bernard Sang (29:57.61) escaped this ignominy by a few metres.
Korir had kept alive Kenya's hope of a consolation bronze stalking Wondemu in the last five laps, even going ahead at the start of the 23rd but the Ethiopian pulled away in the last to complete an Ethiopian sweep of the medals.
"I hope we have learnt our lessons and can do something before the Olympics," said Korir.
The gold medallist ,Gebremariam, returned his fastest time on home soil. "The weather was terrible but our country, our track and so we got the medals," he said.
More misery piled on for Kenya when Thomas Musinde (100m men) and Joyce Zachary (100m women) finished last in their semi-final races.
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The only consolation came in the 800m where David Rudisha (1:52.93), Jackson Kivuva (1:50.28) and Asbel Kiprop (1:50.32) all finished first in their respective heats to qualify for the semi-finals. They later made to Friday's final.
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