WHO IS THE GOAT? UPDATED APRIL 2024

Kenya’s Alexander Munyao takes the win in London 2024 (2:04:01), followed by Ethiopia’s Keninise Bekele in 2:04:15 Considering 41-yer-old Kenenisa Bekele‘s 2:04:15 second place finish in today’s 2004 TCS London Marathon, I believe the Ethiopian legend strengthened his case for GOAT status in the world of distance running. As far back as 2018, I deduced Kenenisa had already earned GOAT status off…

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Dakar en Jeux festival set to bring Youth Olympic spirit to Senegal

The second edition of the Dakar en Jeux festival gets underway today. It will bring a week of celebration of sport and culture to the host areas of the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) Dakar 2026 – the first Olympic event on the African continent. This second edition will run until 4 November 2023.

Following the success of last year’s inaugural festival, which saw thousands of people participate in sports initiations and demonstrations, music concerts and cultural activities, the 2023 edition will see an even greater focus on bringing sport and the Olympic spirit to Senegalese communities in the lead-up to Dakar 2026. Events will take place in the YOG host areas of Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly.

Tens of thousands of spectators and 2,000 athletes are expected to take part in the five-day festival, which is a key engagement initiative of the Dakar 2026 Organising Committee (YOGOC) and is aimed at promoting the upcoming YOG while also engaging local youth, promoting physical activity and raising awareness about the values of the Olympic Movement.

Kirsty Coventry, the Chair of the IOC Coordination Commission for Dakar 2026, said: “After the great success of the inaugural edition in 2022, Dakar is gearing up for another celebration and lots of excitement, as we look forward to the Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026. Dakar en Jeux isn't just about showcasing sports; it's also about embracing the values of the Youth Olympic Games, and building bridges between communities. People will have the opportunity to witness incredible athletes, experience the thrill of competition, and connect with like-minded individuals who share their passion for sport and culture.”

The festival programme has been created by and for young people and is being delivered by the YOGOC in partnership with the Senegalese Olympic Committee, the city of Dakar, the cities of Diamniadio and Saly, the Senegalese government and the International Olympic Committee.

The festival is set to begin today, 31 October, with an opening ceremony at the iconic Monument de la Renaissance Africaine in Dakar. This marks three years to go until the start of the YOG Dakar 2026. The ceremony will see all 46 departments and 14 regions of Senegal come together to showcase their traditional dances and costumes, underlining the YOGOC’s vision to involve the whole of the host nation in the YOG.

Kenyan Olympic medallist and IOC Member Paul Tergat, who is the ambassador for this edition of Dakar en Jeux, said: “I'm honoured to be the ambassador for this second edition, Dakar en Jeux 2023, and it is great to see the evolution compared with the first edition. With new sports added to the programme of the festival, whether as initiations or competitions, it means even more young people are involved in sport.”

The festival programme also features various sports events, workshops and performances, including concerts, poetry slams and street art demonstrations, where a fresco focusing on the Olympic values will be painted by local graffiti artists. Sports competitions and initiations are also part of the programme, including a special urban day, offering people the chance to discover sports such as rollerblading, BMX and skateboarding.

In addition to events in Dakar, the city of Diamniadio will also be in the spotlight, hosting athletics and futsal competitions, as well as a series of concerts by young artists.

Saly, meanwhile, will have beach handball and beach volleyball initiations and a beach wrestling competition, along with other sporting activities at Obama Beach. The city will also wrap up the festivities with a closing ceremony, featuring a blend of music and dance performances.

The Dakar en Jeux festival is set to take place each year in the build-up to the YOG Dakar 2026, which will be held from 31 October to 13 November 2026, bringing together the world’s best young athletes to compete. The YOG will be held across the three cities of Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly and aim to serve as a catalyst to transform Senegalese young people through sport.

126th Boston Marathon Training Recap

“Ask yourself: Can I give more? The answer is usually, ‘yes'”. Paul Tergat Training for the 126th Boston Marathon is the dream of any runner. It is like the preparation for the final game of a championship. The only goal for this cycle was: do not fuck this up! Dissecting this directive a little further, it meant: 1) don’t fuck this up, 2) Toe the line 100% healthy, and 3) finish the…

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Todo listo en Australia para el Mundial de Cross Country

(Con info. de World Athletics) El presidente de World Athletics, Seb Coe , dice que el Campeonato Mundial de Cross Country anunciará una década dorada del deporte en Australia. El evento de Cross Country se llevará a cabo en el icónico hipódromo de Mount Panorama en Bathurst este sábado 18 de febrero. "Bathurst es una pista de carreras icónica del mundo, pero ahora la gente pensará al mismo tiempo en Bathurst y en la organización de un Campeonato Mundial de Cross Country", dijo Coe en una conferencia de prensa . “Australia puede aprovechar una década dorada para nuestro deporte con unos Juegos Olímpicos en 2032 y, obviamente, unos Juegos de la Commonwealth en 2026”. Coe dijo que World Athletics estaba en proceso de revigorizar el campo traviesa y estaba usando un nuevo diseño difícil en Bathurst para ayudar a promover la disciplina. “Quiero que todos sepan que World Athletics se toma muy en serio el cross country”, dijo. "Este es probablemente el campo de cross country más duro que jamás se haya ofrecido en un Campeonato Mundial". “Queremos que esto (Bathurst) también sea un punto de partida para otras cosas: la gira mundial de campo traviesa y continuaremos teniendo conversaciones con el COI para asegurarnos de que obtenga el reconocimiento en algún momento de los Juegos Olímpicos”. Coe dijo que estaba seguro de que el embajador del evento , Paul Tergat , el keniano que ganó el título cinco veces, estaría de acuerdo en que no había diferencia entre los logros en la pista de campo traviesa o en los Juegos Olímpicos. “Es una parte esencial de los años de formación en el desarrollo de los atletas jóvenes, no solo mental y físicamente”, dijo. “Cualquier atleta que pueda dominar el campo a través desde una edad temprana estará en una posición privilegiada para seguir una carrera de resistencia en la pista”. Coe también dijo que amaba las partes "australianas" del campo de Bathurst conocidas como Bondi Beach, Boomerang y Billabong. “Me gusta el hecho de que el campo es un desafío y genera interés para los espectadores”, dijo. Los atletas sudamericanos que participarán son el venezolano Luis Orta en varones mayores y los colombianos Laura Geraldine Cusaría (damas mayores), Pedro Marín (varones u20) y Laura Rojas (mujeres u20). El equipo de Brasil no pudo viajar debido a inconvenientes con el trámite de visas. Los Mundiales de Cross comenzaron a realizarse en 1973 (anteriormente, desde 1929, se disputaba el llamado Cross de las Naciones) y la última edición se cumplió en 2019 en Aarhus, ya que la pandemia obligó a cancelar en las temporadas siguientes. Ahora vuelven en Bathurst, a 200 km. de Sidney. El ugandés Joshua Chepetgei, de 26 años, defiende el trono masculino. Cuatro años atrás venció en Aarhus y desde entonces se convirtió en una estrella mundial del atletismo: recordman de los 5.000 y 10.000 metros llanos en pista, oro olímpico en 5.000 y medalla de plata en 10.000, donde además truinfó en dos Campeonatos Mundiales. Su compatriota Jakob Kiplimo (22 años) fue campeón mundial u20 de cross y subcampeón luego en mayores, detrás de Cheptegei. Desde entonces también ha evolucionado con bronce olímpico y mundial en 10 mil metros llanos, y campeón mundial de medio maratón, con récord, en Gdynia 2020. Kenia, el país con más medallas en el Mundial, 324, allegacon Geoffrey Kamworor, el más laureado de los participantes con dos oros en 2015 y 2017 y el bronce en 2019. El triple campeón mundial de media maratón, fue atropellado por un auto en 2020. Pero corrió el maratón en 2h05:23 en Valencia. Y en enero pasado, ganó en enero el Campeonato de Cross de la Policía de Kenia, donde batió a Daniel Simiu Ebenyo, subcampeón de 10.000m de la Commonwealth. Ebenyo es candidato a las medallas como todos los keniatas: Kibiwott Kandie, subcampeón mundial y explusmarquista de 21K, Nicholas Korir, 4º en los 5.000m de Tokio, Sebastian Sawe, plusmarquista de la hora y 58:58 en 10K, y Emmanuel Kiprop Kipruto, especialista en cross. Otra de las estrellas del campeonato es el etíope Selemon Barega, de 23 años, y 5º en Aarhus. En estos cuatro años ha conseguido ser campeón olímpico de 10.000 metros, campeón mundial de 3.000m bajo techo y subcampeón mundial de 5.000 metros. Etiopía -que ya tiene 275 medallas en el historial de los Mundiales de Cross- cuenta también con Berihu Aregawi, 4º en los 10.000m de Tokio y ganador de los trials etíopes para este campeonato en Sululta hace unas semanas, Tadese Worku, plusmarquista etíope de 10K y subcampeón mundial sub-20 de cross hace cuatro años, Getaneh Molla, destacado también en el selectivo etíope, Mogos Tuemay, campeón africano de 10.000m, y Hailemariyam Amare, campeón africano de 5.000m. Del resto sobresale Rodrigo Kwizera,  de Burundi, quien vive y compite habitualmente en España yo es el vigente campeón del circuito mundial del cross, y podría superar el 9º puesto de Thierry Ndikumwenayo en 2019, el mejor de siempre de Burundi. En la damas la estrella es la etíope Letesenbet Gidey, bronce en la carrera de 2019 y campeona sub-20 en 2015 y 2017. En estos cuatro años se apoderó de los récords mundiales de 5.000 y 10 mil metros en pista, y medio maratón Viene de ganar los Trials etíopes de cross.   Read the full article

Paul Tergat lauds World Athletics' decision to give Bathurst 44th edition

The staging of the world cross-country championships in Bathurst has given rise to a surreal feeling. While cities like Paris, New York, Boston and Budapest were among the first 43 locations in world cross-country championships history, a town just shy of 40,000 people is this weekend the meeting place for many of the best middle-distance and long-distance runners in the world. Among them are…

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Paul Tergat lauds World Athletics' decision to give Bathurst 44th edition

The staging of the world cross-country championships in Bathurst has given rise to a surreal feeling. While cities like Paris, New York, Boston and Budapest were among the first 43 locations in world cross-country championships history, a town just shy of 40,000 people is this weekend the meeting place for many of the best middle-distance and long-distance runners in the world. Among them are…

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Kenya's world marathon record holders : The standard Sports

Kenya’s world marathon record holders : The standard Sports

Paul Tergat [photo courtesy] World marathon record has remained in Kenya for 11 years – since 2011 when Patrick Makau set it at the Berlin Marathon. Here The Nairobian takes a look at Kenyans who have broken the 42.195km world record. Paul Tergat During the race in 2003, Tergat badly tripped his foot. He later said it felt like the sole of his shoe fell off. He also took a momentary wrong turn…

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Kenya team to train Kurume City in May ahead of Tokyo Olympic Games

The first batch of Kenyan athletes will arrive in Kurume City for training in May, at least three months prior to the start of the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Kenya has finally ended months of speculation on where they will pitch their training camp in Kurume City or Fukuoka, reports Xinhua news agency.

Speaking to reporters in Nairobi on Wednesday, the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) head Paul Tergat confirmed Kurume City delegation had presented a better prospect for the team.

Stakeholders chart way forward in Nock’s Covid-19 conference Sports psychologist Kanyali Ilako, award-winning tennis coach Rosemary Owino and javelin star Julius Yego, have spoken about challenges athletes are facing as the world battles to contain the spread of novel coronavirus.

Il ruandese Felicien Mumitira vince la XXIX edizione del Memorial “Peppe Greco” SCICLI - E’ stato il 24enne ruandese Felicien Mumitira a vincere la XXIX edizione del Memorial “Peppe Greco” gara podistica internazionale che si è corsa a Scicli sulla distanza dei 10 mila metri.

R.I.P. JOSEPH CHEBET

I know running’s focus is rightfully centered on the USATF and UK National Track & Field Championships going on this weekend to select their respective teams for August’s World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. But I could not let the passing of marathon great, Joseph Chebet, go by unnoticed or unmentioned. The 52-year-old legend died after a brief illness on July 7, 2023 at the Mediheal…

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Kenya culture,stereotypes and generalizations.

Kenya is an african country which is formed by multiple tribes or communities, that give its people and population multiple roots and origins. There are about 42 ethnic groups, each one of them has its own cultural customs and practices, but they are similar in language, and geographical and racial proximity. Given this diversity in the population, Kenya has a really diverse culture, and the influence of the british colonization is very noticeable due to the extensive use of the english language throughout the country.

In the field of literature, most of the works were written in english, with some of the country’s famous writters using some native dialects in their books. On another hand, kenyan sport is recognized around the world because some of the country´s athletes have been champions in the Olympic Games in sports like long distance races, for example Catherine Ndereba, who has won the Boston Marathon four times, Paul Tergat, who is the former world champion in marathons, and finally John Ngugi, five-times world champion in cross and olympic champion in Seoul 2018. Most importantly, british cyclist ChrisFroome was born in Kenya, and represented the country up until 2008.

The country’s holiday customs are still attached to its society and culture, despite being a colonized country with foreing influences. One of the most representative holidays takes place in january, in Malindi, and it is called The International Fishing Competition of Large Species, which is an important celebration where boats and fishmen from all around the world attend to. The Rally Safari is also a big event, and in june they celebrate the Madaraka Day and Nakuru´s agricultural show. 

Lastly, one of the most popular stereotypes about Kenya (and Africa in general) is that it isfilled with poor people and that if they want to move forward they should be like the UnitedStates of other richer countries from around the world, but the reality is that Kenya is much more advanced in technologies like renewable energy: 50% of Kenya´s electricity comes from hydroelectricity sources! While other countries like USA only get 11% of their electricity from sources like this.

Kenya’s 10,000m medal rush in tokyo rekindles memories of Tergat-Gebrsellasie cliffhanger

TOKYO, Japan, Jul 30 – Olympic Games tend to cast a spotlight on some of the greatest track and field rivalries of all time. Rightly so, Paul Tergat’s presence in the Japanese Capital has great sentimental value for Team Kenya as athletics officially gets underway today (Friday). For one, its a morale booster to Kenya’s trio for their 10, 000m race as much as it rekindles memories of the…

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Paul Tergat

Anonymous said to mbti-sorted:

Paul Tergat, distance runner - enfj?

Kwemoi relieved after receiving scholarship boost from NOC-K

Kwemoi relieved after receiving scholarship boost from NOC-K

NOC-K president Paul Tergat assured the athletes of the committee’s unwavering support as each one prepares an assault on different competitions this year and beyond. Read More…

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