Athletics coaches intensify fight against doping
Nyahururu based athletics coaches have embarked on aggressive campaign against doping in the sport around the area.
The tacticians have been taking every opportunity to sensitize the athletes on the need to run clean.
This is after the area was named as one of the areas in the country where use of prohibited performance enhancing substances by athletes is prevalent.
The coaches organized a cross country time-trial in the outskirts of the town at the weekend where they took time to educate the runners on dangers of doping.
Coach Francis Kamau Esmi said one-time-wonder athletes will no longer be celebrated in this country saying development in the sport is gradual.
“We don’t want unknown athlete appearing at the national cross country and goes on to win. When we check we realise that the winner has no history of participating in the series being held by AK in the country.
“That is why AK has said for an athlete to qualify for the World Cross championship, he or she must have ran at least two of the five-leg series,” Kamau said.
Coaches from KDF who are handling athletes camping in Nyahururu also addressed the runners after the time-trial meet.
Long time coach, Robert Kioni urged runners based in Nyahururu to safeguard the exalted position the town holds due to international beating achievements of runners of yesteryears who trained there.
“They ran clean and that is why they are still respected even today…many years after they retired,” Kioni said.
Many athletes turned up for the time-trial. In the senior men 10km race, Albert Tanui displayed top form winning in 30:35.72 thus laying down a marker for athletes eyeing the World Cross championships team slots.
Behind him were; Nicholas Kiplimo, 30:45.84, Fredrick Mwingirwa 30:56.16 and Evans Mayaka 31:32.01 in that order respectively.
Mary Nyaruai won the senior women 10km race in 37:06.08 ahead of Mercy Wanjiru, 37:17.81 and steeple chaser Virginia Nyambura who clocked 37:44.36.
The junior men 8km race was won by Victor Kimosop in 24:52.82. Second was Michael Malel 25:21.83 and Zebedayo Lenawasai in 25:25.86.
Yvonne Jepchirchir, Regina Naserian and Lucy Ngoshosh finished in that order in the 6km junior woman event in 21:09.22, 21:51.95 and 22:08.62 respectively.
