This is The Man Behind David Rudisha’s Success (Photo)
Successful and brilliant world champion are just a few words that can be used to describe one of Kenya’s most illustrious middle-distance runners, David Rudisha.
But there is man behind Rudisha’s success and the success of many world champions. And this week , ‘Inside Africa travels to Iten – a small west Kenyan town overlooking the Great Rift Valley – which is attracting a stampede of world class athletes with its high altitude and running culture.
Their aim, to meet a man who’s spent decades working with home grown running stars, Brother Colm O’Connell. O’Connell coached many of the athletes on the Kenyan team that took the top spot in the 2015 World Championships.
Brother Colm O’Connell poses with David Rudisha after receiving a Honorary Doctorate from Dublin City University (DCU) for his services to sport (Photo Courtesy)
He tells the programme: “Our spirits are high. Kenya came out number one in Beijing, first time ever in the history of the country, but we must keep our feet on the ground. We must keep our athletes grounded.”
Others interviewed includes one of the most successful Iten women runners is the 2015 NYC Marathon winner Mary Keitany. She tells CNN: “It’s really amazing to me, because I close the season with a victory, so it means a lot to me. I would like to go and try to make a way so I can try to get a medal in Rio.”
The programme also films at the Sagana River. It is here that Kenya’s rowing and canoe association is found, and where its members are set to compete against Africa’s best canoe athletes.
Titus Mukundi, who is a member of the Kenyan national team, tells ‘Inside Africa’: “The competition is very stiff, or very competitive. Because most of the people coming to compete here, they compete in Europe. Some of them, they’ve actually been to one of the top events in the world.”
The Slalom Coordinator of the International Canoe Federation, Pierrick Gosselin, tells the programme how the organisation is providing facilities and equipment for African athletes: “We provide boats and we teach the people, the locals, how to build their own equipment… By 2018 or maybe 2022, these young kids will be able to catch up with the Europeans for sure.”
Back at Iten four-time world champion Lornah Kiplagat tells CNN how the town attracts athletes from all over the world: “We have elite athletes from all over the world. Name any country you know, and they’ve been here.”
Kiplagat helped create the high altitude training centre in Iten, which includes a track, swimming pool and gym, designed to meet an athlete’s every need.
British Athletics’ David Harmon tells ‘Inside Africa’ why his athletes come to Kenya for high altitude training: “When we get those athletes and they have that drive, and we put them in this environment, we can match the best in the world for sure.”
At the high altitude centre, the programme meets one of Kenya’s top female runners, Irene Chebet Cheptai, who will train here in preparation for the Rio Olympics. She tells the programme: “The competition in Kenya is very difficult to make the team. But it depends on if you have done your training. So if you do your training, you will make it.”
To catch this show tune in to ‘Inside Africa’, Friday 4 December at 2030 on CNN International
The show also airs at the following times:
Saturday 5 December at 1430 and at 2130
Sunday 6 December at 0730
Tuesday 8 December at 1230
Thursday 10 December at 0730
