The 2015 World Javelin champion Julius Yego has called for more national competitions to be staged at certified stadia next season, warning that Kenya risks sending a depleted team to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games if it doesn't give more athletes opportunities to meet the tough qualifying standards.
Yego, the 2015 World Championships gold medallist, believes Kenya’s declining competitiveness across several disciplines should worry athletics stakeholders, especially with the demanding entry standards threatening to reduce the country’s representation at global championships.
“If you critically analyse the performances of Kenyan athletes in the last few years, then we should be worried about whether we will manage to take a big, strong team to Los Angeles in 2028,” Yego said.
The qualifying standards for LA 2028 are particularly demanding in track events. The men’s and women’s 100m standards stand at 9.93 and 10.96 seconds, respectively, while the 200m requires 19.95 and 22.25 seconds. In the 400m, the marks are 44.40 and 49.90 seconds, with the 800m requiring 1:43.0 and 1:57.0.
The 1,500m standards are 3:30.0 and 3:57.50, while athletes targeting the 5,000m must clock 12:50.0 for men and 14:34.0 for women. The 10,000m qualifying marks stand at 26:48.0 and 30:30.0 respectively.
In the men’s javelin, the qualifying distance remains unchanged from the Paris 2024 Olympics at 85.50m, while the women’s mark has been lowered slightly from 64m to 63.80m.
Yego attributes the limited number of high-level competitions in Kenya to a lack of opportunities for athletes to achieve qualifying standards or valuable world ranking points.
“Then we have had a normality in our competition calendar schedule year in, year out. The same old competition schedule, with only two competitions in our country giving athletes a chance to get the qualifying standards or points.
“We have the National Championships and the Kip Keino Classic, with only a select few getting the opportunity to compete in the latter tournament,” he added.
The 2016 Olympic silver medallist said only a handful of Kenyan athletes compete abroad in Diamond League meetings and other international ranking competitions, leaving the majority disadvantaged.
“The only lucky ones who can get competitions outside Kenya in the Diamond League circuit and other ranking events have a bigger chance of getting this standard or saving themselves by getting points for rankings,” he said.
He also raised concerns about the shortage of certified athletics facilities, noting that Nyayo National Stadium remains the only certified venue currently available as Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, and the Eliud Kipchoge Stadium in Eldoret undergo construction and renovation.
“Nyayo Stadium is the only certified stadium we depend on at this time as we wait for the completion of Kasarani and Kipchoge Stadium in Eldoret soon,” he said.
Yego challenged Athletics Kenya to consider moving weekend meetings to certified venues to give athletes more opportunities to post competitive times and distances. “Can we for now think of hosting our weekend meets in certified stadiums going forward as we wait for the others under construction and renovations?” he asked.
He questioned the wisdom of staging track competitions on unsuitable surfaces, warning that the practice could compromise athletes’ safety and undermine their performances. “Why would we be going to compete on a murram track for track events and a few field events on grass, which in itself is a very dangerous situation for athletes?” he lamented.
Beyond improving facilities and expanding the competition calendar, Yego wants Athletics Kenya to engage World Athletics on upgrading some local weekend meetings to Silver and Bronze level status, enabling athletes to earn valuable ranking points at home.
“Apply to World Athletics for some of our weekend meets to be categorised as Silver and Bronze level meets for our athletes to get points,” he said.
Yego warned that failure to implement these changes could leave Kenya with a significantly smaller contingent at the 2028 Olympics and future World Championships.
“If we continue to normalise things as they have been, we will be sending very few athletes to World Championships and Olympic Games, as it has already been an issue in the last few World Championships,” he warned.
