Poor facilities hurting Kenyan athletes - Kipyegon, Chebet warn

Kenyan athletics icons have decried poor training facilities in the country, warning that inadequate infrastructure is undermining their preparation and overall performance on the global stage.

The champions, including world record holders Faith Kipyegon and Beatrice Chebet, now want the government to urgently renovate and upgrade key stadiums to match international standards.

Speaking on Tuesday morning at Talanta Plaza in Nairobi during a meeting with Sports Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya and Principal Secretary Elijah Mwangi, the two athletes said Kenyan runners are pushing through difficult training conditions, often without access to quality tracks.

“My preparations have been challenging, particularly regarding training locations. When I was training to become the first woman to run a sub-four-minute mile, I went through a lot,” visibly emotional Kipyegon said.

Kipyegon recently won the 1,500m gold at the Prefontaine Classic in Oregon with a new world record of 3:48.68, improving her previous record of 3:49.09 set in Paris last year. Despite her success, she revealed how she struggled to find suitable training grounds before the race.

“I am grateful to the University of Eldoret and the School of Law training grounds in Eldoret for providing training opportunities. I was disappointed that Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret was closed when I needed to train there ahead of the Breaking4 mile in Paris,” she said.

On June 26, Kipyegon attempted to become the first woman to run a mile in under four minutes during the Breaking4 project in Paris but finished with a time of 4:06.91.

“My request is to renovate the track, for the benefit of current and future athletes. I also thank the media for promoting Kenyan athletes globally; we wouldn’t be where we are today without you,” the 31-year-old three-time Olympic champion said.

Beatrice Chebet, who also competed at the Oregon meet and shattered the world record in the women’s 5,000m with a time of 13:58.06, backed Kipyegon’s remarks.

“We endure a lot in training, and as Kipyegon experienced, the facilities aren’t always up to standard. We are not asking for much, just adequate training facilities,” Chebet, who has been training in Iten, Elgeyo Marakwet County said.

In response, CS Mvurya said the government is prioritising improvements to key high-altitude venues.

“The ministry is already heavily investing in high-altitude training areas like Kamariny, Kipchoge Keino, and Kapsabet stadiums,” Mvurya said.

“There are plans to install tartan tracks at these facilities. In Homabay, Raila Odinga, and Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi, the stadiums’ training conditions are being enhanced.”

The Cabinet Secretary also announced that Olympic and Paralympic reward packages have been reviewed, with Sh70 million set to be disbursed in the coming weeks to athletes who had not been compensated previously.

As part of the updated package, the government awarded Kipyegon and Chebet Sh5 million each for breaking world records.

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