It has been a week of celebration for the country since Saturday following a plentiful harvest at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Australia.
With 10 medals, including six gold, two silver and two bronze, our athletes made a loud statement that Kenya remains the cradle of cross country.
There can never be enough congratulations for Beatrice Chebet, Ishmael Kipkurui, Beatrice Chepkoech, Brenda Chebet, Emmanuel Wanyonyi, Kyumbe Mutungi, Pamela Kosgei and Reynold Cheruiyot for a job well done in Bathurst.
It is a victory that did not simply come but was a work in progress, which involved intense training in the hilly terrains of Embu County.
It is success for which the athletes had to make a lot of sacrifices including spending time apart from their families, waking up early in the morning and foregoing other issues in their lives to prepare for this competition.
Equally, the technical bench, led by head coach Julius Kirwa worked hard, day and night, to ensure that every athlete was in top shape and able to conduct their training without any physical or psychological distractions in their lives.
The one-and-a-half months in which the team was in residential training not only enabled them prepare at an individual level but also improved the bond among the athletes, which proved helpful on the course at Mount Panorama.
A perfect example of how the athletes had become one big family was seen during the junior women’s race where two Kenyan runners handed water bottles to each other to enable them rehydrate.
In the end, teamwork made the team work as is evidenced by the fact that Team Kenya came away from Australia with the world title — having topped the medals table.
Indeed, what better way to begin the athletics season — in particular, the track and field — with good tidings in the form of such wonderful returns?
The team’s preparation for the World Athletics Cross Country Championships has provided us with a template on how to plan for success in future competitions.
It is our objective, desire and hope that the excellent performance by Team Kenya in Bathurst, Australia will transmit to other major competitions in 2023, including the World Athletics Championships, World Continental Tour and Diamond League meetings.
May the Kenyan flag continue waving higher. BY DAILY NATION