Noah Kibet on why Kenyan athletes shun World Indoor Championships

ATHLETICS Noah Kibet on why Kenyan athletes shun World Indoor Championships

Abigael Wafula 06:00 - 06.03.2024

Noah Kibet has explained why he thinks Team Kenya did not send a huge number of athletes to the World Indoor Championships and why the athletes sent performed poorly.

Team Kenya sent 13 athletes to represent the country at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, something that has raised concern among fans from all over the world.

According to some track and field enthusiasts, Kenya sent the lowest number of athletes to the events despite being known to be an athletics powerhouse.

Of the 13 athletes sent, only one, world 3000m steeplechase record holder Beatrice Chepkoech secured a medal. Ferdinand Omanyala was also in the Kenyan contingent but he missed out on the podium bracket after finishing fourth.

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In an interview with American outlet Letsrun, Noah Kibet explained that most Kenyan athletes do not like running indoors and they complain that the track is not like the one outdoors.

He added that most of them have the notion that indoor competitions are more difficult than outdoor ones.

“What I was hearing from some of my colleagues, they kept saying indoors is hard for them. Sometimes you can’t get people who come and try to compete here.

“People always train even during the winter but I think people don’t want to come here. The track is normal but some people say that it’s not good and they complain about getting injured.

“I think the track is normal but people have not tried and we don’t have many people from Kenya who are familiar with the track,” Kibet said.

The 19-year-old was among the athletes selected to represent the country and in as much as he noted that he loves the indoors as much as the outdoors, he did not perform well.

Kibet could not go past the heats stage since he finished third in the heats of the 800m in Glasgow unlike in 2022 where he finished second in the final of the race.

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