Kenyan athletes focused on Tokyo Worlds despite Chan fever

As African Nations Championship (Chan) action electrifies East Africa, Kenya, which is hosting the bonanza alongside neighbours Tanzania and Uganda, is getting its arsenal ready for another major event – the World Athletics Championships Tokyo25.

With Chan underway until August 30 and the modern training facilities mainly Moi Sports Centre Kasarani and Nyayo National stadium hosting the continental football extravaganza, athletics stars are notwithstanding, preparing for the September 13-21 showpiece.

The country's journey to the 2025 Tokyo World Championships signifies a return to a Japanese City where Team Kenya ruled the roost at the 2020 Olympic Games, which was staged in 2021 following the Covid-19 pandemic.

Just after the selection of Team Kenya to Tokyo concluded late last month, memories of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics were rekindled.

At the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, Kenya displayed its brilliance in athletics.

All the ten medals including four gold from Faith Kipyegon (women’s 1500m), Eliud Kipchoge (men’s marathon) Peres Jepchirchir (women’s marathon) and Emmanuel Korir (men’s 800m) continues to inspire Kenyans four years on, as they get ready for an expected exhilarating World Athletics Championships.

In its preparations for Tokyo, the country faces a scenario where its facilities are inaccessible to Tokyo-bound athletes because of the ongoing African football, and can’t train in those venues and on one side, the joy of hosting a continental showpiece with the last one of that magnitude staged in Kenya in 1987 when all the team of track, field and road stars to the World Athletics 2015 Championships had not been born.

Four year ago, Team Kenya for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics started checking into the final Olympics pre-departure bubble camp at Kasarani on Monday June 21, 2021.

Thanks to Covid-19, the camp took place in a strict bubble, to keep athletes safe from Covid-19 infections while closely monitoring their health and to ensure compliance with Tokyo Games regulations.

Observers say the major scare ahead of the Tokyo Olympics was Covid and this year’s fear is training facilities.

Athletics Kenya (AK), however, says the preparations must not be dampened by the inaccessibility of Kasarani and Nyayo and other facilities in Nairobi including the Ulinzi Sports Complex and Police Sacco among other facilities.

Instead, Team Kenya for the World Championships, AK said, will train at the high altitude Eldoret City.

AK president Jack Tuwei acknowledged late last month the ongoing football contest would render all venues in the city inaccessible for distance runners preparing for Tokyo and indicated the stars would be sharpening their tactics at the Kipchoge Keino Stadium.

“After the trials and selection of Team Kenya, we will embark on the actual preparation. We will take this team to go and train at the Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret because we do not want to waste any time. Immediately, after Chan is over, we will bring them back (to Nairobi) for the final preparation before they travel to Tokyo,” said Tuwei.

Kipchoge Keino is, however, still under construction for a proposed upgrade to an international arena but athletes have been using it to prepare for races.

Interestingly, Japan National Stadium which hosted the 2020 Olympic Games is the venue for the World Championships and Kenyan stars who represented the country that time will be looking to replay their scripts in September.

Among those returning to Tokyo four years after bagging medals during the Olympics showdown are Faith Kipyegon, who went ahead to defend her title last year in Paris.

Peres Jepchirchir who stormed to her first Olympic medal which was a gold medal is returning to Tokyo with a dream of basking in glory once again after a disappointing 14th place in a challenging Paris race, last year.

For Jepchirchir, it will be a different marathon route this year in Japan. In 2021, the marathon course was in Sapporo, but during the World Championships in September the event will commence at the Japan National Stadium, with the initial segment featuring challenging inclines and descents that will test the athletes' resilience.

After the first 5km, the course becomes predominantly flat. Competitors will pass near the Tokyo Dome, a hub for sports and entertainment, and around 8 kilometres into the race, they will reach Jimbocho, well known as one of the world's largest antiquarian book districts.