Kenya’s 4x100 metres swimming relay team members David Dunford, Amar Shah, Jason Dunford and Ramadhan Vyombo, which won the bronze medal in the All Africa Games in Maputo, Mozambique, in September. PHOTO/ MOHAMMED AMIN
By JONATHAN KOMEN jkomen@ke.nationmedia.com AND BERNARD ROTICH brotich@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Sunday, January 1 2012 at 16:38
Posted Sunday, January 1 2012 at 16:38
IN SUMMARY
- From the All Africa Games to World Championships, Africa Cross Country to World Cross and World Marathon Majors, the country’s athletes rose above their opponents
Athletics has had a successful 2011 season even as it sets sights on the London Olympic Games lined up for next August.
The runners triumphed in almost all international track, cross country and marathon races they entered, making Kenya’s hopes of making it even better in London in August.
They set the ball rolling at the inaugural Africa Cross Country Championships in Cape Town, sweeping all medals on offer. In the absence of perennial rivals Ethiopia, the Kenyans proved too good for the 19 participating countries.
John Mwangangi and former world 3,000 metres junior cross country champion Mercy Cherono won senior races while Japhet Korir and Faith Chepng’etich swept the junior top-six board.
Defend world title
A month later, the Kenyan team proceeded to defend its title at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Punta Umbria, Spain, where it bagged all team titles except the men’s 12km individual title they lost to Ethiopia’s Imane Merga.
Geoffrey Kipsang, Faith Chepng’etich and Vivian Cheruiyot won gold medals.
In May, Kenya was at it again finishing third behind South Africa and Ethiopia at the tenth Africa Junior Athletics Championships in Gaborone, Botswana. Here, milers Hillary Maiyo and Geoffrey Barusei blossomed in 1,500m with new records in their categories.
Kenya finished second behind USA at the seventh IAAF World Youth Championships in Lille, France, in July. USA bagged 16 medals (six gold, four silver and six bronze) to reclaim title from Kenya with 14 medals (five gold, five silver and four bronze).
That was simply a curtain raiser to yet another dominant show at the World Championships in Daegu, South Korea.
Kenya made history on the first day of action, winning 1-2-3 in the women’s marathon before staging a superlative outing with 17 medals with seven gold medals. Vivian Cheruiyot struck a double victory in 5,000m and 10,000m, making her a prospect for the IAAF Female Athlete of the Year award.
Broke marathon jinx
Kenya broke the marathon running jinx in 2011.
First, it was Geoffrey Mutai’s jaw-dropping 2:03.02 at the Boston Marathon in April. But the timing was not ratified by IAAF as world record as it was wind-assisted. Patrick Makau then proved the Kenyan critics wrong as he shattered Ethiopia’s Haile Gebresesassie’s 2:03.59 all-time mark.
Kenya maintained its dominance in he 3,000m steeplechase with a 1-2 finish. This was after Brimin Kipruto ran a sizzling 7:52.64, missing the world record by a micro-second.
The Kenyans sealed the top 25 world marathoners list. Wilson Chebet (2:03.42) came close to breaking Makau’s record at the BMW Frankfurt marathon.
Kenyan marathoners won all the six World Marathon Majors in 2011 –Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, New York and the World Championships in Daegu.
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