Paris Olympics: Will Kenyan Trio Of Kibet, Kimeli Mateiko Deliver The Elusive 10000m Gold?

_{Coach Alex Sang gives his insight ahead of the race slated for national stadium, Stade de France on Froday night. PHOTO/ JAIRUS MOLA}

PARIS, France- Team Kenya coaches are counting on the trio of Bernard Kibet, Nicholas Kimeli and Daniel Mateiko to deliver Kenya’s medal of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games when they compete on Friday night in men’s 10,000m final at the national stadium, Stade de France.

“Every competition has a winner. We have prepared them adequately. They are all good in their own right, if you consider the times, they have clocked this season and at the national trials during the Prefontaine Classic (in Oregon, United States.)

“We have high hopes in them even though we have our perennial rivals, Uganda and Ethiopia. I know they will pose a great challenge but we trust the trio to deliver.

“We had a structured programme. We started with endurance training and then headed for speed. However, we couldn’t afford time to hit the gym and hill work,” Coach Alex Sang told sportsdesk.co.ke.

He continued: “We had already slipped into championship mode and it was only important that we get our priorities right.

The speed work was intense and we believe it has prepared our boys to finally crack the elusive title.

They are cautious with how to approach the 10 pm final due to the heat.

After the trials at the end of June, we hit the road running even though the weather was a bit different from what we had in Nairobi. It is a bit hot in Paris.

They are a good trio and have showed the highest level of discipline, especially since we stepped into residential training camp.

Despite the tight schedule, we used to give the athletes recovery and family time, which is key in ensuring they are mentally comfortable.

We had engagements with corporates and the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya, which left our athletes not only prepared but also performed.

However, we have a strong team. The training went well. We had split the group in two, one in Nairobi and another in Eldoret, which I believe was a masterstroke in as far as athlete’s comfort is concerned.

We hope to see the fruits of the team’s hard work starting tomorrow. I have coached for long and hot heats are usually the best performers.

We could not have everything we would have wished for but the government and the National Olympic Committee provided the support we needed. We could not have it 100 per cent, though.

The 1500m of Timothy Cheruiyot, Brian Komen and Reynold Cheruiyot have posted good times in their recent competitions and we expected them to challenge for the medals.”