A DAY AT THE ATHLETICS TRIALS

Kenya's Ezekiel Kemboi celebrates after winning the men's 3000m steeplechase during the 2012 Olympic Games on August 5, 2012 in London.

AFP Photo By Franck Fife Fri, Jul 12, 2013

Saturday, 13 July 2013 at a packed Nyayo National Stadium, Emmy Kosgei belted her musical classical and brought the crowd to its feet. Her ‘Taunet Nelel’ hit song electrified the crowd and set it ready for the explosive athletics action that soon followed. The stage had been set for the Moscow 2013 World Athletics championships trials, on a sunny Saturday morning in the Kenyan capital.

The athletics action perhaps offered a worthwhile distraction from the disappointing show that our Harambee Stars had put on in Kitwe, Zambia during the 2013 COSAFA Cup. But truth is, as a soccer-mad nation, we are now used to the football heartbreaks that Harambee Stars perennially put us through. Our track stars so proudly fly our flag high and it never gets any better, than when our national anthem is played in honor of our world-beaters during major sporting events such as the Olympics and the World Athletics champions, the two world’s greatest track events .Track events such as KipchogeKeino, NaftaliTemu, Catherine Ndereba, Paul Tergat, TeclaLorupe, Bernard Barmasaiand VivianCheruiyot are our sons and daughters. Add reigning Olympic, World and record –holder in the men’s 800m, David LekutaRudisha to the list, and you see why we got the bragging rights in the athletics world.

The 10, 000m Men set the action and BidanKaroki led his training partner PaulKipngetichTanui in 1-2 finish. Even the arrival of Deputy President William Ruto could not upstage the action that was getting thick and fast on the Nyayo Stadium track!  Away from the track action, the entire stadium watched in awe as Julius ‘YouTube-man’ Yego, shattered the national Javelin record with a new throw of 82.09m! I was part of this history-defining moment! An incredible feat! Simply put, this is just 8m shy of the entireNyayo National football pitch! Just like other Kenyans, I am strongly optimistic Kenyan that Yego will be in the running for a medal in Moscow. Never forget that he is the first ever African to make it to the finals of the Olympic Javelin, back in London 2012.

Ezekiel Kemboi, the reigning world 3000m steeplechase champion brought the curtains down, with his trademark dance to that moved the London crowd to its feet during the 2012 Olympic Games after winning the gold medal. The crowd cheered on as Kemboi performed his magical gig, never minding that he was placed 6^th in the race, but he is the world champion and he board the plane to Moscow, with the hopes of the entire nation that the 3000m Steeplechase Gold will remain in Nairobi!

Perhaps the absence of reigning world and Olympics 800m maestro David Rudisha and 5000m/10,000m world champion, Vivian Cheruiyot, both injured and expectant, respectively, must be a source of heartache to all Kenyans, and a relief to our arch-rivals, Ethiopia.

Our team of world –beaters to Moscow 2013 had been selected after a grueling day at the Nyayo Stadium. To the international media, thetrials double as a mini-Olympics and this were attested to by the battery of international journalists capturing the action and interviewing our athletes after the finish line.

All in the day of a budding journalist!