National athletics coach Julius Kirwa says they have a strategy to capture the men’s 10,000m gong at the 2025 World Championships slated for September 13-21 in Tokyo.
Kirwa believes the key to a turnaround lies in early preparation and the revival of dedicated training camps.
“Athletic clubs have very many athletes. The federation needs to earmark the top talent and put them together in one camp with selected coaches just like we used to do in the 80s and 90s,” Kirwa revealed.
“Setting up these camps well in advance will be crucial for building team chemistry and preparing for the tough competition ahead,” he added.
The qualification window for the 10,000m event is open from February 25 to August 24, 2025, with the entry standard set at 27 minutes.
Kirwa’s comments come after Kenya’s performance at the Paris Olympics, where the nation fell short of the podium.
The seasoned tactician believes there are promising signs of a turnaround despite a dismal show in Paris.
“Despite not winning a medal, the performance was good. The athletes that represented the country did well because two ran under 27 minutes, which was commendable,” Kirwa said.
In Paris, Kenya was represented by Benard Kibet, Daniel Mateiko and Nicholas Kimeli. Kibet finished fifth in 26:43.98 while Mateiko (26:50.83) and Kimeli (27:23.97) placed 11th and 14th.
Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei claimed the crown with an Olympic record time of 26:43.14; followed by Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi (26:43.44) and USA’s Grant Fisher (26:43.46).
Kirwa praised the performance as a significant improvement from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
“This is a huge improvement from Tokyo. The boys showed that we can turn our fortunes around in the 10,000m race,” he stated.
At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the top Kenyan in 10,000m was Rodgers Kwemoi who placed seventh with a time of 27:50.06. His compatriots Rhonex Kipruto (27:50.06) and Weldon Langat (28:41.42) placed ninth and 20th respectively.
Kirwa reckons that the performance from Paris is a sign of greater things to come at the World Championships.
“From that performance, I am confident we will do even better at the World Championships,” Kirwa asserted.
During last year’s edition of the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Cheptegei clinched the title by clocking 27:51.42 followed closely by Daniel Simiu (27:52.60) and Ethiopia’s Selemon Barega (27:52.72).
Kibet finished fifth after clocking 27:56.27 with Nicholas Kipkorir (28:00.38) placing eighth.
Cheptegei, who has bested Kenya in the event over the years, had announced his retirement from the track to focus on the roads following the conclusion of the Paris Olympics.
Kirwa acknowledged the retirement of Cheptegei from track competition but warned against complacency, citing the continued threat from Ethiopia and the rising challenge from the USA.
“Cheptegei’s exit isn’t a reason to relax. There is still the threat posed by the Ethiopians and now the Americans,” Kirwa said.
