Habari za Wiki - 25 August, 2020
Unstoppable Timo Saves The Day In Stockholm
Stockholm was not a good outing for three Kenyans who lined up. However 1500m World Champion Timothy Cheruiyot saved the day. Kenya can always count on him.
In a tactical tough race and pushed by Norwegian youngster Jakob Ingebrestien, Timothy won it in a not so good time of 3:30.25. This is his third victory in his career at the Olympic stadium.
For other the other big Kenyans racing that day, here are some of the results:
Winny Chebet – 4th in 1500m in 4:02.58, a season’s best
Hellen Obiri – 12th in 1500 in 4:10.53, a season’s best
Ferguson Rotich – 4th in 800m in 1:45.11, a season’s best
Kip Keino Test Run on 12 September
Athletics Kenya has invited 230 athletes to take part in the Kip Keino Classic test competition to be held on 12 September at Nyayo stadium. The athletes have been selected based on their current world ranking and on their performance in Doha last year. Spectators will NOT be allowed in the stadium, however the test run will be aired live on television.
Meanwhile, Moroccan steeplechaser Soufiane El Bakkali who won in Monaco has expressed his interest to compete at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi and take on Conseslus Kipruto, youngster Leonard Bett and more. He has a huge admiration for Kenyans.
The London Lineup
London Marathon has released a revised elite line up for the 4 October race. It’s going to feel strange watching London be loop around the park rather than a mass race past iconic landmarks. But the level of the competition is not diminished. 5 Kenyan men and 4 Kenyan women will be lining up.
The contest that’s getting the most buzz is the men’s race. The two fastest marathoners, both with their own case to make for being the greatest male distance runner, Eliud Kipchoge and Kenenisa Bekele are going head-to-head. But also look out for Ethiopian rising star Mosinet Geremew and Vincent Kipchumba who won Vienna and Amsterdam last year.
The women’s race might be just as dramatic. World record holder Brigid Kosgei, the reigning London Champion, leads the women's field which also has Vivian Cheruiyot and Ruth Chepngetich. Chepngetich, the reigning world champion, is promising fireworks. She’s said she thinks she can take Kosgei’s world record.
Valary Aiyabei Jemeli, the reigning Frankfurt Marathon champ, is also raising her voice and letting the world she’s ready to compete. With a PB of 2:19:10 and making her London debut, she’s certainly got to be one to watch.
Another Call For Criminalizing Doping
Wilfred Bungei, the 2008 Olympic gold medalist in 800m, has warned that Kenya might be banned like Russia if the Government does not move with speed to criminalize doping. Kenya has been talking about amending the anti-doping law, however nothing seems to have happened since the start of the pandemic.
To Non-Kenyan News
Athletes Slam New Long Jump Format
World Athletics is trying to be innovative, but the new format for the long jump is just unfair to all athletes. The new format sees all jumpers compete for five rounds. Then the top three jumpers go head-to-head in a sixth round. The winner of that sixth round is declared the winner. Confused? Yeah, us too.
For clarity, we can look at Stockholm Diamond league and the situation between South Africa’s Ruswahl Samaai and Sweden’s Thobias Montler. Montler had the best jump of the meeting of 8.13m but because he delivered that in the second round and managed a 8.06 in the sixth round, Samaai was declared the winner with his 8.09 in the sixth round. Samaai took to Twitter to say his win is unfair.
64:31 - What a Record
Ababel Yeshaneh’s world half marathon record of 1:04:31 has been ratified. The Ethiopian set the world record in the women's half marathon at the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon on 21 February. She shaved off 20 seconds from the previous record of 1:04:51 set by Joyciline Jepkosgei in Valencia in 2017.
So it’s now the only road running world record between 10k and marathon for men and women that isn’t held by a Kenyan. So who is going to bring that one back?
Abebe Bikila Scholarship
The Ethiopian Athletics Federation (EAF) has announced the launch of ‘Abebe Bikila Scholarship’, which aims to empower women in sports by providing a fully funded higher education scholarship for two women athletes/coaches annually.
Abebe became the first African to win an Olympic gold medal, when he won his first gold medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome running barefoot.
It’s kinda funny that the women’s scholarship is named for a male runner, but great to see more support for female athletes.
Is Joshua Cheptegei A Legend in the Making?
For an athlete to sit at the all-time table of men in African athletes requires a lot of success and achievement. One will be competing with the success of Kenenisa Bekele, Haile Gebresellasie, Kip Keino, and Eliud Kipchoge. Joshua Cheptegei is earning his spot on that table. The Standard takes a look at his story so far.
From Us At Enda
Proudly made in Kenya, our Kenya Pride Shujaa Singlets are on available now.
The singlets are made from a super-premium polyester air-mesh designed to wick away sweat to keep you cool. There are different fits for men and women. They are a limited edition item. We last released them 18 months ago, so make sure you don’t miss this set.
From the Enda Community
Ishuah Kariuki, @ishuah on Twitter, has taken on a bold challenge and is excited to have just the right partner for the challenge. He is taking on a 600KM challenge with his Mara gold Lapatets. Check out his long run from this weekend on Strava.