World Athletics President Sebastian Coe has hinted that athletes transition is the best idea a country and a federation can ever have.
Speaking on Tuesday at the Kasarani stadium ahead of world under 20 athletics championships at the Kasarani stadium, Coe said that the main challenge at the world athletics is maintaining the transition.
Despite the world going through the COVID-19 challenges, they could not go for more than five years without the junior championships.
“We always have such great athletes in the under 18 and under 20 but a few of them fail to represent their country or federations as senior athletes. I want to urge coaches and federations to ensure a good transition. Athletes should be inspired and federations funded to help junior athletes to deliver. To achieve this, we have to be keen, maintaining the relationship with coaches to spend time with them, especially training athletes at a young age of 18 years to senior ranks,” said Coe, the former 800m Olympic Games champion.
He added that coaches have a difficult time in preparing such great athletes especially for the schools and talents.
“We always support federation whenever they have initiative to engage coaches, especially those who want transit into senior coaching, by impressing them to take athletes to greater heights, “added Coe.
However, on a light note, Coe pointed out that it pains the world 800m record holder David Rudisha who broke his world record.
“It pains me to say so but on a light note, but Rudisha did marvelously during the London Olympic Games in 2021. He started from such championships way back in 2006 and went on to win major championships,” said Coe adding that the championships are the big moment for the athletics calendar of the year in athletics where over a 1000 athletes that include Refugee team.
He rekindled the 2017 world under 18 championships at the same venue that connected, describing it as ‘fantastic’.
“It is unfortunate, with obvious reasons that we will not have the noisy passionate informed fans that Kenyans athletics has always produced. Nothingness, this will be an outstanding championship. Athletics in Kenya is a religion and my career was so defined by great Kenyan athletes and there were so many medalists from such championships from credible levels,” he said.
Athletics Kenya president Jack Tuwei said that once we bid to host the championships, they saw a need in it.
“We presented our bid in 2018 and it is good that they gave us the hosting rights. We are sure of hosting the championships in the best way possible to ensure that we deliver best results,” said Tuwei.
With challenges that came with coronavirus, Tuwei said that the athletes could not train well.
“It was not a good year for our athletes last year because of the pandemic but as we still go through this challenge, we are happy that we have come together, allowing our athletes to compete in a free environment. Unfortunately there will be no spectators due to the health of everybody and particularly the athletes. We believe that a few of the athletes who competed here in 2017 made it here for the championships and come to realize that the attitude they left here is still good. We want them to compete in a healthy environment,” said Tuwei.
Rudisha, the ambassador of the event reminded the presidents that the successful 2017 under 18 was great and this year will be greater,
“Am sure that we shall manage to pull the best of the best this year. I can say that Coe has lived the promise after saying that he will bring in more events in this country and he did just that. The memories I have are huge for me. Very important because this is their future. I remember in 2006 when I competed as a junior in Beijing, where I began my career and when I won it, it was great and gave me hope that I can make it in athletics,” concluded Rudisha.
This event is so important because these are the athletes we are going to see on the international podium in the next few years,” said Rudisha, the two time Olympic 800m champion.