By Elias Makori va FB
Congrats to Julius Yego (javelin silver) and Margaret Nyairera (800m bronze) for bringing the curtain down on the Rio track and field programme.
Pole Asbel and Kwemoi, you live to fight another day…
You have all done Kenya proud…
We pray for Eliud Kipchoge, Stanley Biwott and Wesley Korir in the marathon from 15:30 today.
Team Kenya athletics coaches and other technical staff should now go on a retreat at Enashipai, Naiberi or somewhere quiet and critically analyse Rio, right from tactics, technique, pre-competition training (physical, mental, psychological), diet and also dissect the trials and study what the opponents did right, especially USA who went to the drawing board after we hammered them in Beijing last year.
Our coaches, agents and technical people need two weeks at Enashipai and must invite selected athletes to give testimonies.
After troubleshooting, they must draw up proposals for improvement before 2017 London World Championships and prepare a development programme towards Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
They should rope in sports medics and strength and conditioning experts for their insights.
Prevention of injury and injury management should be explored.
Asbel and Kamworor, for instance, should testify on why they suddenly underperformed. Also, on the flip side, Vivian and Faith to narrate what made them win against such odds…
Yego and Manangoi can explain their injuries. It should be an open, candid, no-holds-barred and frank retreat.
We always resume normal business after major championships without serious post mortems!
Those are my concluding remarks after the Rio track and field programme.
Management-wise, NOCK must be disbanded and reconstituted, the same as Athletics Kenya.
Too many issues of integrity and total lack of focus have played against Kenya’s performances over the years and now, push has come to shove… Something has to give.
Individual associations should also realize that the country, and its sportsmen and women, are more important than bank balances of individuals in these federations.
The Sports Act must be embraced to the letter and spirit.
God bless Kenya!
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