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Kenya: Our Athletes Must Fix Their Eye On the Prize
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The Nation (Nairobi)
EDITORIAL
7 July 2008
Posted to the web 7 July 2008
Nairobi
Now that the team that will represent the country in the Olympic Games has been identified following the successful completion of the national athletics trials at the weekend, it is time to shift to serious preparations.
The athletics team selected at the Nyayo National Stadium on Saturday offers hope of a great performance when Kenya parades alongside the rest of the world at the Olympic Games in Beijing, China, next month.
We believe that this is perhaps the best team selected since the 1988 Olympics when Kenya was the best-ranked African side.
We certainly hope it is, for in the past few years, the Ethiopians have been outshining Kenya especially in the middle and long distances, which should give the coaches and other handlers food for thought.
What is important now for the athletes is to maintain discipline and display commitment to their training so that when they go for the games, they are fully fit to win medals.
Athletics Kenya, coaches, athletes' agents and the athletes themselves must now be seen to be speaking the same language. Nobody should undermine the other.
The AK must also move in fast to ensure the athletes train together and end the perceived differences that are simmering between a few athletes who are now competing against each other for supremacy rather than for their country.
Harmony in the camp is important because any rifts will negate the team's mission and vision.
But while all eyes are set on the athletics team as the sure medal prospects, the other teams should also not be forgotten.
Boxing has in the past brought medals to Kenya, and the country's top swimmer Jason Dunford is also highly favoured to bring home some gold.
The Government and the team's handlers should therefore ensure that the interests of all the disciplines are well taken care of so that none feels left out.
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And as the team concentrates on serious training, we hope the athletes will fix their eye on the prize and become good ambassadors for this country.
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