Road running to blame for men’s poor performance in Tokyo - head coach Kirwa

Kirwa, a former 3,000m steeplechase runner, spoke on Thursday in Nairobi at the Athletics Kenya offices in Nairobi after being named the Sports Journalists Association of Kenya (SJAK)/Betika Coach of the Month for September.

He said that most young athletes run many races, rather than limiting themselves to two or three competitions per season.

Kirwa, 64, said that when an athlete runs road races, it’s difficult for them to perform well on the track, which can lead to burnout.

“I have been in the business of coaching since 2002 and I’m excited and happy to be awarded this trophy. It’s a recognition of the hard work and discipline I have put in this sport, not only as a former athlete, but also as a tactician,” he said.

“This award is not for me but for the athletes, other coaches and supporting staff that we worked in unison in Tokyo to record good performance.

“It’s unfortunate that the men didn’t perform well like their female counterparts and we are hoping that the script will change in future events. But this goes down to discipline, knowing what races to run. The body also needs to rest. It’s difficult to run road races and expect to perform well on track.”

When asked if he was considering retirement after 23 years of coaching, Kirwa, a Kenya Defence Forces Warrant Officer Class One, said that he still has a lot to offer.

Despite the federation coming under fire for appointing Kirwa to lead Team Kenya in many events, Athletics Kenya president Lt General Jack Tuwei said that he was glad the country’s success had always vindicated their decision.

“It’s a great day for us. We are just from the State House where we had breakfast with President William Ruto and now we are here to be recognised by SJAK/Betika for a job well done at the World Athletics Championship. We are excited and happy. Congratulations to coach Kirwa for being awarded the coach of the month. He is an experienced coach and understands these athletes very well. Many people have questioned why we have held onto him but the results are there for everyone to see. The Tokyo performance resonates with the 2015 performance in China. The difference is that in Beijing we finished first but in Tokyo we finished second. Most of the time, experience makes all the difference,” said Tuwei.

“Now that we are done with Tokyo, focus shifts to next year where we have a busy calendar. We have new programmes of World Cross Country with seven World Athletics series and so our athletes need to prepare very well. Also, new techniques and rules are being introduced in various races and field events and therefore we are calling on all coaches across the nation to [stay informed].”

Kirwa beat City Thunder coach Bradley Ibs, KCB rugby coach Andrew Amonde, and Kenya Under-20 men’s volleyball coach Luke Makuto to win the trophy.

Betika Marketing Executive Marya Wachira noted the significant improvement from the last World Athletics Championships, emphasising the gap that the Betika/SJAK Coach of the Month Award has come to fill.

“This performance marks a significant improvement from the 2023 Championships in Budapest, Hungary, where the team secured 10 medals including three gold, three silver and four bronze. For team Kenya to have made such strides, leadership came in handy and that’s why we have made this strategic decision to have this coach of the month award towards recognising such outstanding leaders,” she said.

SJAK president James Waindi said: “We acknowledge the increased competitiveness across the sports disciplines, which is very promising for the future of sports in Kenya.”