Korir: 2017 best year for Kenyan athletics

NAIROBI, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- A former Kenyan international runner said on Thursday that 2017 is the country's best year in athletics in recent times.

Barnaba Korir, the former 10,000m athlete, said that as the year comes to a close, there is a lot that Kenyans can be proud of in as far as athletics is concerned.

"Who will forget how we took off with a number of titles in the World Cross Country Championships held in Uganda? We may not have done well on the team front, but at least we the two most important titles - senior men and women's," Korir said.

"We scored a perfect 10 points in the senior men's race and the relay team led by Asbel Kiprop proved to the world that we are kings and queens of middle distance races," said Korir, who is in charge of youth development at Athletics Kenya.

He said that Kenya will pick up from where it left during the Africa Cross Country Championships to be held in Algeria next year.

After the cross country event, Kenya successfully hosted the World U-18 Athletics Championships in Nairobi where the country emerged fifth overall.

"Who will forget the crowds at the venue of the event where even the international partners admitted that the event had the highest number of attendants in the history of the youth event," he posed.

Kenya finished in second position behind the United States with five gold medals, two silver medals and four bronze medals during the World Athletics Championships held in august in London.

Korir said that the athletes performances on the marathon circuit is unforgettable especially with Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge's Breaking 2 race and his feat at the Berlin Marathon and Mary Keittany's women only world record during the London Marathon.

He cautioned that as Kenyans celebrate the athletes' exploits, it is important to remember that it is now water under the bridge and the country has to strategize for next season where the Commonwealth Games is the biggest event on the calendar for Kenya. Enditem