By Mutwiri Mutuota
Between August 15 to 24, a day after the 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics ended, this reporter was engaged in processing the progress of Team Kenyaat the global event.
The fantastic championships had their highs and lows , including the media contingent that was there to document every medal won, every dream shattered and every tear of joy or defeat recorded by the famed red, green and black decked runners revered worldwide.
After the colourful closing ceremony inside the majestic Berlin Olympiastadion, the well-maintained behemoth constructed by Adolf Hitler for the 1936 Olympics, Kenya had raked in four gold, five silver and two bronze medals.
And here are the moments that yours truly believes shaped Kenya’s Berlin 2009 adventure.
August 15: Moments after the women 10,000m final where Linet Masai had stunned Ethiopians with a finish borrowed from the bitter rivals in her unusual running style where her lanky legs appear to propel forward as her back leans, pandemonium broke. The bruised Ethiopians and other officials rushed to appeal that some of the runners had not covered the full 10,000m distance. Reason? The cones that usually divide the two starting groups had not been placed meaning the runners in the second pack cut into the inside lanes metres before they were due to.
After a raging debate, it was decided none of that was the athletes’ fault and so the results stood. So as it approached 10pm German time (add an hour), Kenya could finally celebrate the first women 10,000m gold since 1997 when Sally Barsosio won. Ethiopia runners had held on to it since then. Masai’s winning time of 30:51.24 is however, not recognised for statistical purposes because of the incident.
August 16: Yet another heart stopping moment for Kenya on a very hot German summer morning when defending women 800m champion, Janeth ‘Eldoret Express’ Jepkosgei appeared to crash
out of the heats of her event after falling prostate as they came for the final bend.
Incidentally, she was clipped by none other than South Africa’s Caster Semenya who would go on to become the most controversial figure of Berlin 2009.
A furious Jepkosgei went through the media tribune without saying a word, but was soon smiles when her appeal was upheld and was included in the semi-finals.
August 16: As most reporters and crowd awaited to watch Olympic champion, Pamela Jelimo, who had raised concerns on her form after a rocky start to her season, yours truly hanged on to the tribune awaiting Semenya for her explanation of the Jepkosgei incident. On arrival after going through television and radio unstopped, the deep voiced, soft-spoken and courteous runner granted the interview without fuss and claimed she was not aware of what was happening behind her at the time.
However, her eerily manly poise, even the way she held on to the rails as she answered questions had most foreign journalists present who did not even bother listening to her murmuring.
When she won the women 800m title days later, they were at the forefront of igniting the Semenya gender scandal that rumbles on to date. That interview proved to be the last time the South African teenager was seen at the Press Tribune.
–To be continued
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