Poor tactics cost Kenyan men in athletics races, retired coach says

He is one of the most decorated athletics coaches whose philosophy centred on discipline, hard training and tactics.

Kosgei, now retired, believes that Kenya has good long distance runners who only need to refine their tactics to dominant track and field 5,000m and 10,000m.

Read: Where is the gold? Concern as Kenya’s male athletes struggle

He feels all is not lost for Kenya after recent dismal performances at global championships.

Kenya failed to produced a single podium finisher at this year’s Tokyo World Athletics Championships men’s 5,000m and 10,000n finals.

It was the same case at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games save for the men’s 5,000m where Ronald Kwemoi bagged a silver medal.

In an interview with Nation Sport at his home in Kamurukuiywa village in Kapsabet, Kosgei said Kenyan athletes were as strong as the best in the world and what they just needed was to have tacticians.

Having guided Kenya from the late 1980s until the turn of the century, Kosgei will certainly know what he is talking about.

He is the man who shaped the likes of Moses Tanui and Charles Kamathi, all 10,000m champions, Paul Tergat and John Ngugi.

However, the contrast between Kosgei’s era and the now is stark in terms of performance.

While the country may have performed exceptionally well at this year’s World Athletics Championships, finishing second behind giants USA on the medals table, a closer look at the medal winners reveals a worrying statistic.

Out of the seven gold medals won only one was claimed by a man -- Emmanuel Wanyonyi in the 800m.

The disappointing results renewed debate on where Kenya might be losing ground in terms of training and competition.

While there is a lot of talent, critics argue that lack of technical consistency, good training programmes, and inadequate mentorship at the elite level reflects a departure from the systems that coaches like Kosgei championed some years back.

Tergat's five consecutive crowns

In the history of the World Athletics Championships started in 1983, Kenya has bagged three gold medals in the 10,000m race through Paul Kipkoech at Rome 1987, Moses Tanui at Tokyo 1991 and Charles Kamathi in 2001.

Then there was a drought in the next four events as Ethiopia’s Haile Gebrselassie claimed the title four times before coach Kosgei ended that streak in 2001.

Kosgei, who handled Team Kenya for 15 years said there was a need for good coordination from athletes and coaches so that they are all aligned on one plan.

He started training the national team in 1986 in cross country.

Amongst his students was one John Ngugi, who went on to win five senior men’s titles.

Hot in Ngugi’s heels was William Sigei who won two titles before the great Paul Tergat helped himself to an unprecedented five consecutive crowns.

Their success came because of good coordination and team work Kosgei asserts.

He said Kenyan athletes needed the right coaching as the world has changed and moved on with technology.

He reckoned that because of lack of tactics Kenyan men runners were being beaten in the latter parts of their races.

“Coaching style has to change and include tactics. If a coach heading the team is also a tactician that is an added advantage. This is how Ethiopian athletes have been trained though it didn’t work for them this year,” said Kosgei. 

Kosgei offered that probable athletes should be identified early and put in training camps before the very best are selected to represent the country.

“We should have started preparations for the 2028 Olympic Games now with the federation in conjunction with the Ministry of Sports, setting up camps. This will help athletes learn from one another and rectify various things ahead of global events,” he said. 

The coach said that it is important to have Team Kenya train together for more than a month once they have been selected so that they gel well.

“You can’t have athletes coming from different areas converging for a week or two in preparation for championships. That is not teamwork. I call it a collection of athletes and that will not bring medals home,” he said.

Read: Late night pep talk by Rudisha that yielded world 800m title for Wanyonyi

He said that managers who follow athletes to the arena during the championships should be looked at because they want their own athletes to win and make a name for themselves and it becomes hard to plan for races.

“When the team is selected, managers and agents should be kept at bay and that is where athletes and the coach handling them can have a discussion as a team and if that is put on the table, definitely medals will come back home.

“It has to be a command. I used to say I want a gold medal and we achieved that in various races,” he added.

Other athletes he guided to good performance at the world stage are Billy Konchellah who bagged men’s 800m gold in Rome 1987 and Tokyo 1991.

Moses Tanui won the world title in 1991 while Ismael Kirui claimed 5,000m gold in 1993.

Kenyan men have blown hot and cold at the last three world championships and two Olympic Games.

At the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021, Kenya managed to bag 10 medals -- four gold, four silver, two bronze.

Men’s gold came via Eliud Kipchoge in marathon and Emmanuel Korir in 800m.

At the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, Kenya hauled a total of 10 medals -- two gold, five silver, three bronze). The one gold medal from the men came via Emmanuel Korir in the 800m final.