Tag Archives: world

2014 WORLD CUP DRAW | Harambee Stars vs. Seychelles

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When the draw for the 2014 world cup qualifiers was conducted on the 30th of July 2011, the Kenya national soccer team was among a group of 24 lowly ranked teams in the continent set to face it out before joining a group stages for a chance to taste glory in Brazil. The stars ranked 130th in the latest FIFA rankings are set to square it out with the tiny Indian ocean island of Seychelles’ known better for its tourism than for its football prowess. The stars should have an easy task advancing into the group stages if Seychelles’’ current placing in the rankings 197 is anything to go by. However in football anything is bound to happen and for this reason the stakeholders should ensure the team prepares enough in time for the 11th of November clash away before a return fixture in Nairobi four days later.

If the stars cross the Seychelles hurdle they will join Nigeria, Malawi and the winner of the tie between Namibia and Djibouti in group F to fight it out for first place. The winner of the group will join nine other group winners in five two legged ties with the winners representing Africa in the 2014 FIFA world cup. Nigeria and Malawi who are ranked higher than Kenya pose the biggest threat at that stage. In the recent past Nigeria has proven to be our perennial rival when it comes to world cup qualification each time the super eagles flying above our stars. The latest being the 3-2 defeat at the hands of the West Africans in Nairobi during the qualifications for the 2010 world cup. There are lots of positives that the current national team can build on from that encounter and possibly take us all the way to Rio bearing in mind the fact that we were leading only for our defensive frailties to let us down.

The stars have a good chance of making it through to face off with the big boys of African football for a chance to play in Brazil .However that will only happen if preparations start early.

References:
Super eagles in Harambee Stars’ way, Daily Nation, 2nd August2011
Kenya 2 Nigeria 3: match report, The Telegraph, 14th Nov 2009
Road to Brazil, standardmedia, 2nd August 2011

ATHLETICS | Kenya’s athletics heroes

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On 22nd August 2010, Kenya’s 800M athlete, David Rudisha broke the men’s 800M world record at an IAAF world challenge event held in Berlin.

On Saturday last week, the world record holder won the 800M race at the National Bank of Kenya National Athletics Championships that saw him book a ticket to next month’s World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, besides nursing a left foot injury that has barred him from participating in several recent events. Last year BBC World Service put Rudisha on record saying, “I have been running fast and I now have the world record but I have not won any major championships yet. It is time to focus on that now and to win a medal at the 2011World Championships. And then I want to be the Olympic champion. That is my focus from now on.”

David Rudisha

Frankly, he’s walking the talk and being good at it! Watts Wacker et al (1999) The Visionary’s Handbook: Ten Paradoxes That Will Shape the Future of  Your Business, wrote, “no one is less ready for tomorrow than the person who holds the most rigid beliefs about what tomorrow will contain.” At jijuze, we celebrate our fallen hero Samuel Wanjiru-the first Kenyan to win the Olympic marathon, and applause our rising star, David Rudisha. Going by his word and form, he could just be the next Kenyan icon on the international stage, going into the London 2012 Olympic games.

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References:

Rudisha qualifies for World Champs Super Sport July 16,2011

David Rudisha breaks 800m world record BBC Sport August 22, 2010

 

 

Kenya Dominates Rome Marathon

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Kenyans dominated the 17th Rome Marathon- “Marathon di Roma” held on 20 March 2011 that saw 15,000 marathoners from eighty countries participate.  The event that is rated world best city marathon, by Runners World UK, and also an IAAF, Gold Label event, set the moment for Kenyan’s glory at the podium.

Kenyan Dickson Kiptolo Chumba clocked 2hr 8min 44sec at the tape to deny arch rivals Ethiopia a clean sweep on the podium places with Amda Siraj Gena (2:09:20) and Dawit Shami Abdulahi (2:09:41), in second and third-place respectively . Among the gobs of scenic landmarks on the 42KM course were: The Coliseum, Forum Romanum, Pyramid, St. Peter’s Square and Basilica. Further, Kenyans won six of the eight gold medals on offer at the world-cross country event.

It is always great to have heroic personalities to identify with on the international arena, especially when it attracts human interest. “Charity begins at home.” As we celebrate our victors in foreign challenges, the main focus should still remain on developing grassroots talent, not only in athletics, but indeed all faculties of social development.

 

References

Maratona di Roma 20/03/2011
Kenya Dominates world cross in Rome 20/03/2011