Kenya's struggles at the World Indoor Championships stem from a lack of proper training facilities, Athletics Kenya (AK) Youth Development Chair Barnaba Korir has lamented.
At the just-concluded World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China, Kenya once again failed to clinch a medal with only one athlete from the 10-member squad making it to a final.
Kenya had sent a contingent of five men and five women, led by 800m specialist Collins Kipruto, but it was Olympian Susan Ejore who stood out.
The 1,500m runner reached the final, finishing fifth in 4:03.49—Kenya’s best performance in an otherwise underwhelming campaign.
Meanwhile, Ethiopia reaffirmed its status as Africa’s indoor powerhouse, ranking third overall with five medals (two gold, three silver).
The United States dominated the championships with 16 medals (six gold, four silver, six bronze), followed by Norway with four (three gold, one bronze).
Korir pointed out the stark contrast between indoor and outdoor track conditions, emphasising Kenya’s lack of specialised infrastructure.
“The indoor track is very different from what we use outdoors. It demands specific training, especially for athletes competing in an indoor setting for the first time,” Korir said.
“You can’t compare the performance of Americans and other European countries because they have the infrastructure necessary for them to do well.”
He further noted that Ethiopian athletes have proper experience running Indoors as compared to Kenyans.
“Ethiopian athletes also are regulars in the Indoors circuits and they feature in races in Europe,” Korir added.
Team coach Vincent Mumo said they did not have adequate time to prepare the athletes. “We had little time to prepare the athletes, but we tried to use it adequately to make the team compete effectively.”
Echoing Korir’s sentiments, Mumo noted that Ejore secured a finals slot, owing to the proper facilities she uses while training in the USA.
“Ejore has experience in running the Indoor circuit in the US, where there are proper facilities. So she was in a better position to secure a slot in the finals, unlike the other athletes,” Mumo said.
Team manager Abdullahi Omar echoed the concerns, highlighting the limited exposure to indoor racing.
“Considering Kenya rarely competes indoors, I believe the team did well. This was not the performance we expected, but given the circumstances, it was commendable,” Omar noted.
