• The country heaved a sigh of relief as Emmanuel Korir won Kenya's first gold at Tokyo after double heartbreaks in the men's 10,000m and 3000m steeplechase
•Eliud Kipchoge, Peres Jepchirchir, Faith Kipyegon and Korir gave the country something to smile about by clinching gold
•Ferdinand Omanyala was the surprise package as he reached the semis of the men's 100m and narrowly missed out on the finals
Eliud Kipchoge won the men's marathon at the Tokyo Olympics, clocking 2:08.38 ahead of the Netherlands' Abdi Nageeye (2:09.58) and Belgian Bashir Abdi (2:10.00) in second and third respectively.
The victory hoisted Kipchoge to the front pages of history books as one of the very few to have defended their Olympic marathon titles back-to-back.
It momentarily shone the spotlight on Kenya as a hotbed of talent — as far as athletics is concerned — after what many consider an underwhelming outing at the quadrennial games.
Before Kipchoge, there was Faith Kipyegon who defended her 1500m title in style, waltzing away from Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan in the last lap to cross the finish line first in 3:53.11 —a new Olympic record for the race.
For someone who has easily brushed aside everyone in her path to stardom, it was quite a relief for every Kenyan to see that Hassan has her weaknesses as she felt powerless trying to catch up with Kipyegon.
Hassan, who is one of the leading candidates for the World Athlete of the Year in 2021, did a double over our very own, World 5000m champion Hellen Obiri, as she won double gold in 5000m and 10,000m.
Emmanuel Korir pulled off a massive sprint in the last lap of the men's 800m to clinch his first gold at the senior level. Similarly, world bronze medalist Ferguson Rotich seemed to be missing out on a podium finish until less than 100m to the finish line when he sprinted to grab silver.
This moment of glory came just after Hyvin Kiyeng could only contend with a bronze medal after coming third in the women's 3000m steeplechase. World record holder Beatrice Chepkoech was held back by multiple injury woes, including tendon, hamstring, lower back and stomach discomfort and could only finish seventh in 9:16.33.
Collectively, the country heaved a sigh of relief as Korir's gold was the first in Tokyo after double heartbreaks in the men's 10,000m and 3000m steeplechase.
While Kenya once again came up short in a race they are yet to win gold in 53 years, they were also dethroned from the throne as kings of the 3000m steeplechase for the first time in 53 years.
In the 10,000m, the fastest Kenyan was Rodgers Kwemoi who could only finish seventh in 27:50.06 as Ethiopian Selemon Barega clocked 27:43.22 to come away with gold.
Despite the hopes prior to the games that the trio of Kwemoi, World Under 20 10,000m champion Rhonex Kipruto and Weldon Kipkirui would finally break the 53-year dry-spell, Naftali Temu still remains as the only Kenyan to win an Olympic gold in the men's 10,000m.
In the 3000m steeplechase, Benjamin Kigen and Abraham Kibiwott were no match for Moroccan Soufiane El Bakkali who finally won gold at an international event after so many years of trying.
Bakkali's joy was Kenyans' grief as the country was jolted into the rude reality that they are no longer the giants of the water-jump-and-hurdles race. Kigen's bronze after coming third in 8:11.45 was only but a consolation to the country.
Likewise, it was heartbreak for Kenyans in the women's 800m as the furthest they could get was in the semis where Mary Moraa finished third.
Timothy Cheruiyot's silver in the men's 1,500m must have been a shocker to many as the world champion came into Tokyo as the standout favourite for the Olympic title.
He timed 3:29.01 to finish second behind Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigsten whose time of 3:28.32 erased Abel Kipsang's Olympic record of 3:31.65, set on Thursday in the second semi of the race.
Although he finished fourth in the final in 3:29.56, the fact that he is a former Olympic record holder should be an encouraging sign that the sky is the only limit for him.
As the curtains come down on Tokyo, the 33rd edition of the Olympics is less than three years away. Preparations for Paris 2024 need to start immediately to ensure better returns than Tokyo.
A key lesson the country has learned from the 32nd edition is the need to invest in modern training technology and coaching methods for all disciplines.
That Kenyans lost all their matches in boxing, volleyball (beach and indoor), taekwondo and swimming was sobering enough and evidence the country still needs to pull up its socks if it is to get medals from these sports.
There were still some pleasant surprises, such as Ferdinand Omanyala's exemplary performance in Tokyo as well as Kenya Lioness' and Shujaa's wins against Japan in the men and women's rugby Sevens.
Omanyala did it all except make it to the podium: set a national record of 10.01, came third in the semis but narrowly missed out on the finals.
Overall, our performance in Tokyo is not our worst Olympic performance in history as many feared it would be. Four gold, four silver and two bronze hoisted Kenya to 19th on the medal standings and the top performing African country at the games.
However, there were also moments every Kenyan would want to forget quickly and move on to the next championship.