Given how many of the top Kenyans train away from home most of the year, that seems like a very odd objection. Sounds like Paul is grasping for excuses.
Dan --- "R. Schmidt" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=trackandfield&id=1991783 > > Reuters Internet Delivery System > > By Isa Omok > > NAIROBI, Feb 15 - Former world cross country champion Paul Tergat has > blamed the regular change in national coaches for Kenya relinquishing > their domination of the sport to Ethiopia. > > "We will keep losing our grip on the world cross country title if we > keep changing coaches. It is not good for the runners because we need > consistency in this area," Tergat told reporters on Tuesday. > > Tergat was the men's long course world cross country champion from > 1995 to 1999, and no Kenyan has won the title since. > > Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele has held the long and short course titles > since 2002 and is the only man to win both events at the same > championships. He also led Ethiopia to the long course team title in > 2004, breaking Kenya's 18-year grip on the event. > > "Many athletes who were selected (for the championships) want to train > on their own outside the national team's residential training camp. > That is a clear message to athletics chiefs that something is wrong > with the coaching," said Tergat. > > "I greatly benefited from the programmes at the camp...and I prefer > that athletes remain in the camp. But the coaching system must be > streamlined and changing coaches every year should stop," the marathon > world record holder added. > > Athletics Kenya scrapped head coach Mike Kosgei's position last month > as part of a decentralisation of coaching. > > Kosgei, one of the country's most successful coaches, was offered a > position in charge of cross country and distance running but rejected > it. > > A set of coaches led by Julius Kirwa is preparing the Kenyan team for > the world cross country championships in France on March 19 and 20. > > World 5,000m champion Eliud Kipchoge has asked officials to allow him > to train away from the national camp, which began on Monday. > > Athletics Kenya chairman Isaiah Kiplagat said all athletes would stay > at the camp in Kigari, 250km north east of Nairobi, and urged coaches > to join their charges there if they wanted to continue with their > programmes. > > > ENDS > ===== http://AbleDesign.com - Web Design & Custom Programming http://Run-Down.com - 10,000 Running Links, Fantasy T&F ------------------------------------------------------------ @ o Dan Kaplan - [EMAIL PROTECTED] <|\/ <^- ( [EMAIL PROTECTED] or [EMAIL PROTECTED] ) _/ \ \/\ (503)370-9969 phone/fax / / __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Meet the all-new My Yahoo! - Try it today! http://my.yahoo.com
