Kenya’s Under-20 head coach Robert Ngisirei has pleaded with top managers in the country to exonerate under-age athletes from road running.
Ng’isirei, who was the head coach for Team Kenya in the just concluded International Sports For Schools Federation (ISF) World Cross Country Championships, said exposing young athletes to road running early in life is tantamount to killing their career.
He said many times, athletes who are exposed to the roads early fail to transition to the seniors cadre.
“On Sunday, we had an exemplary performance from our young athletes and I want to urge coaches and managers not to expose them to road races. Road running will kill their athletics careers and we may end up losing them before they transition to the seniors,” he said.
As a coach, Ngisirei said many of the young athletes are lured into road races early and this has always turned out to be counterproductive.
“Some managers have a high appetite for money and always want to use these kids to make a kill, which is very wrong. We must allow the kids to grow and build their future. As we speak, many of the U-20 athletes are into road races already. I kindly request that we take care of them for a better tomorrow,” he said.
Ng’isirei said the Under-18s are not ready for road running since their muscles are still tender and can not cope with the tarmac.
“Kids’ between 16-18 years are not ready. Their bones are still weak and if they are introduced to road running, most of them will not last two years,” he said.
He said despite the athletes performing well, he is worried about their safety once they go back to their various schools.
“We must follow up on their training once they go back to school. Most of the time, the boys survive but the girls suffer. I want to request the Ministry of Education to take charge and assist in their transition to the next level,” he added.
The tactician said the teams performed exemplary and hopes most of them will make the team to the World Under 20 Championships set in August in Lima, Peru.
