Kenya Sports Commentary

For Kenyan sports fans, there was much to celebrate in the first decade of the new millenium.

Rugby sevens

Perhaps more than any other sport, rugby sevens gave Kenyans a lot to celebrate. The national team now popularly known as Shujaa made slow but steady progress from also runs to one of the top and most feared teams on the globe. Kenya’s progress started modestly when they qualified for the 2001 world cup after finishing runners up to a Zimbabwe team led by Kenyan turned Zimbabwean rugby legend, Victor Olonga. At the time, rugby fans were just happy to have qualified. The performance of the team at the 2001 world cup was nothing to write home about as the team lost all preliminary matches and was relegated to the bowl. In the preceding years, Kenya occasionally participated in IRB sevens tournaments. They were known as an entertaining team with plenty of potential that was capable of pulling a few upsets but could never find consistency.

In 2005 Kenya again qualified for the world cup. It was a star studded team with stalwarts like of Lucas Onyango, Benjamin Ayimba, Allan Makaka, Dennis Mwanja, Felix Ochieng, Ted Omondi, Edwin Shimenga and Oscar Osir who had been top try scorer in the IRB sevens series. Despite high expectations, Kenya again faltered much to the dismay of fans. Coach Bill Githinji was sidelined to make way for a French coach who stayed briefly with the team and was later replaced by former Kenya international, Gordon Anampiu, considered by many as the best inside centre Kenya ever produced. Kenya’s ascent to the top tier howevers started when Benjamin Ayimba hung up his playing boots and took over as coach, ably assisted by former players Felix Ochieng and Oscar Osir.

By 2007, Kenya had taken its place amongst the top 5 teams in the IRB sevens series. In 2009, the team gave Kenyans the most memorable performances by a Kenyan team. Not only did they consistently beat giants like New Zealand, South Africa and England, but the team reached the semi finals of the 2009 sevens world cup, after ruthlessly disptaching sevens giants Fiji in the quarter finals.

Collins Injera emerged as the top scorer in the IRB sevens series. His brother Felix Kayange and the hard running Victor Oduor were also amongst the most outstanding players on the planet. Lavin Asego emerged as one of the best playmakers and goal kickers. The speedy Sydney Ashioya ran tiring defenders rugged whenever he came on in the second half and also played superb defence with many try saving tackles. Gibson Weru, Brian Nyikul, Biko Adema and veterans Ian Simiyu and Benedict Nyambu also starred.

Athletics

Kenyan women runners who had traditionally lagged behind the more accomplished men finally came of age started to realize the potential many had always thought they had. No one epitomizes the emergence of Kenyan women more than crowd favorite Janeth Jepkosgei aka the “Eldoret Express”. She announced her arrival by winning gold at the 2006 commonwealth games and followed it by a superb win at the 2007 World championships where she led from start to finish.

Catherine Ndereba was by far the most consistent Kenyan runner male or female. She won gold medals at the 2003 and 2007 world championships and silver medals at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics, and another silver medal at the 2005 World championships. She also won the Boston marathon four times and the Chicago marathon once. Quite a feat in an event where few stay at the top for long. Ndereba broke the women’s marathon world record in 2001, running 2:18:47 at the Chicago Marathon. In 2008, Ndereba was described by a Chicago Tribune sportswriter as the greatest women’s marathoner of all time.

Pamela Jelimo rose from nowhere in 2008 and quickly became the greatest female 800m runner in 20 years culminating in a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics. Linet Masai and Vivian Cheruiyot finally rose from the shadows of the Ethiopian greats when they stunned the world to win the 10k and the 5k at the 2009 world championships. Perhaps the most surprising gold medal winner was Nancy Lagat who for years seemed to be unable to fulfill the potential she showed as a teenager.

On the mens side, Kenya continued its dominance of the 3000m steeplechase with several 1-2-3 finishes thanks to comedian Ezekiel Kemboi, Brimin Kipruto, Paul Koech and Richard Mateelong. However there is some concern that there are no up and coming steeplers to fill their shoes. There were also memorable Olympic and world championship gold medals for Wilfred Bungei, Alfred Yego, Felix Limo, Eliud Kipchoge, Benjamin Limo, Asbel Kiprop, Luke Kibet, Samuel Wanjiru and Abel Kirui.

But the most memorable of these was Charles Kamathi’s stunning upset of Ethiopian legend Gebreselassie at the 2001 World chamionships  and Noah Ngeny’s ambush win over El Guerrouj at the 2000 Olympics. Both used a blistering acceleration over the last 200m to upset these legends.

Perhaps nowhere did Kenya dominate more than in city marathons where Kenyans won about 90% of the major city marathons and in the world youth athletics championships where Kenya routinely finished at the top of the medal table thanks to the hard work of grassroots coaches all over Kenya.

Other noteworthy performances included Tom Musinde breaking the Kenya 100m that had lasted more than 15 years when he clocked 10.26. David Rudisha broke the Africa 800m record that had stood for 25 years.

Cricket

The Kenya national cricket team gave Kenyans a lot to cheer for when they reached the semi finals of the 2003 cricket world cup and as a result finished ahead of giants such as South Africa and England. The most memorable match for the Kenyans was the win over Sri Lanka , a match played in Nairobi under high security after New Zealand had refused to play in Kenya citing security concerns.

Volleyball

The national womens volleyball team established itself as the top team on the continent by winning the Africa championships in 2005 and 2007. In the club competitions, Posta, Pipeline KCB and later prisons dominated, winning most of the championships. Players like Violet Barasa, Judy Serenge Dorcas Ndasaba, Janet Wanja and many others.

Football

Maina Kariuki ushered perhaps the worst period in Kenya’s footballing history. When he was elected as KFF chairman, his primary goal became to rob the meagre KFF coffers as much as he could while also pillaging the money FIFA gives to each individual association. He then brazenly and doggedly  held onto the office while taking advantage of FIFA’s strict rules forbidding government intereference. Kariuki therefore created a template which every other KFF official has utilized since then, thus creating the worst decade in Kenya football. FIFA have also contrived to keep these officials in office in order to win their votes. Titus Kasuve, Sam Nyamweya, Mohammed Hatimy, Hussein Swaleh have all destroyed the game and forced the Kenyan fan base to seek refuge in the English premier league while leaving local stadia empty. The few die hard fans who stayed have been as depressed and demoralized as refugees fleeing war.

Despite the incompetence and greed of local officials, Kenyans had something to cheer about thanks in large part to determined players and coaches who sought to overcome the poor organization. Dennis Oliech became the first Kenyan to play in a top tier European league when he joined Nantes of France’s league one. He later joined Auxerre where he won the hearts of fans with some superb displays. Oliech was in sensational form when he scored several crucial goals to help Kenya qualify for the 2004 Africa nations cup. Macdonald Mariga became the first Kenyan to play in the Italian Serie A when he joined Parma for whom he features prominently. Other Kenyan players featured prominently in second tier European leagues, most notably Emmanuel Ake, Victor Mugabe and Robert Mambo.

On the local scene, Tusker won the CECAFA club cup in 2000, 01 and 08. The now defunct Oserian Fastac was the only Kenyan team to acquit themselves well when they played in continental contests. The Kenya Premier league was formed by local clubs tired of KFF incompetence. It ushered in an era of better run local clubs and leagues. A welcome departure from the incompetence and corruption at KFF.

All in all it was a wasted decade as Kenya was banned several times by FIFA thanks to the greed of officials clinging onto the positions in order to pocket the FIFA money.

Individual Performances.

Jason Dunford put Kenya on the global swimming map. He won gold at the Universiade, All African games, African championships and briefly held a world record which he set in reaching the finals of the 2008 Olympics. All unprecedented in Kenya’s history. He also impressed Kenyans by speaking fluent Kiswahili, quite an achievement for a person who attended secondary schoool in the UK and College in the US.

There is further hope in the future with the emergence of starlet Achieng Ajulu-Bushell who continues to scale the heights after she set the world’s fastest time at an international gala in Manchester, England. The 14-year-old Ajulu-Bushell swam 50m breaststroke in 32.22 in the FINA World Championships, which is the fastest in her age-group this year. She has set her sights on the 2012 Olympics. Besides Achieng-Ajulu, there were a host of other talented swimmers who represented Kenya well at various youth events. For once it seemed Kenya was closing the gap on traditional giants like Zim and South Africa

Conjestina Achieng became the first African women to hold a world title in professional boxing and while doing it, entertained thousands of Kenyans and earned the nick name “hands of stone”

Josephine Owino became the first Kenyan woman to be drafted to the WNBA. She had achieved a stellar career at Union University where she led the team in scoring and rebounding. She is a product of Shimba Hills girls secondary school which has produced several players whose skills learned ast Shimba were good enough to see them earn college scholarships in US Universities. Players like Mildred Oludamasi, Rose Ouma, Beatrice Owino and Gladys Wanyama. In 2007, Josephine Owino teamed up with others like UK based Marion Githegi to steer Kenya to a creditable performance at the All Africa games. Owino now plays in the Turkish league.

On the mens side, a number of Kenyans also won hoops scholarships to US colleges. Many came from Maseno Secondary school. Notable among these was Collins Onyando who set the Trevecca men’s basketball record for career blocks with 148 career blocks  Onyando also led the team in rebounding, assists, and blocks and is in the top three in points and steals. Other Kenyans who featured in US colleges included Brian Oduor, Ishmael Awange, Ben Wanjara and Peter Kiganya.

Lucas Onyango formerly of the Kenya sevens team made a name for himself in British rugby league where he is a crowd favorite and is considered one of the fastest players in the league. He had briefly played in the English premiership for Sale Sharks but found his niche in rugby league.

Violet Barasa was arguably the best and easily most accomplished volleyball player Kenya produced. She received rave reviews from foreign commentators for her performance at the 2000 and 2004 Olympics and is one of the few Kenyan players to play professional volleyball abroad, for Al Ahly of Egypt, Vileo and Unic-Romania of Romania, Panellinios of Greece and Dicle University in Turkey. Sadly she passed on in 2007. RIP

Dickson Wamwiri became the first Kenyan to win a gold medal in the martial arts when he won gold at the 2007 All African games.

Oscar Osir: Known for his lightning speed, the player popularly knows as  “double Oh” was always amongst the top scorer in the IRB sevens series and also featured prominently for the 15s team. He was able to parlay his skills to earning a professional stint with UK side Cornish Pirates.

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 2nd, 2010 at 5:46 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.