Coronavirus pandemic has shook the sports world globally, causing a stoppage of all sports
competitions and tournaments.
competitions and tournaments.
From
March 13 when Kenya reported her first confirmed case of coronavirus,
Kenyan sports has suffered, and local athletics has not been spared
either.
World 3000 metres steeplechase record holder Beatrice Chepkoech (right)
and her father, Elijah Sitonik, pluck tea leaves at their farm in
Besiobei Village, Konoin, Bomet County on April 29, 2020. PHOTO | DENNIS
LUBANGA | NATION MEDIA GROUP
In March, athletes who have been training in
various camps across the country in readiness for the season were forced
to go back home and engage on other things following a ban on all
sports activities and social gatherings by the government in an effort
to contain the spread of coronavirus.
The government
also put in place guidelines on social distancing. Many of the athletes
are now venturing into farming, which promises good earnings after
missing the entire athletics season.
World record
holder in 3,000 metres steeplechase Beatrice Chepkoech has been busy
helping her parents at home with fetching firewood and picking tea
leaves at the family farm.
Chepkoech retreated to her rural home in Besiobei Village in
Konoin, Bomet County where she trains alone and also spends the rest of
her time helping her parents.
“The entire season is now
going to waste and we have been left to just do easy training as one
way of keeping fit. But as an athlete, I also need to be in good form
just in case the virus is contained and competitions are open,” said
Chepkoech.
World 3000 metres steeplechase record holder Beatrice Chepkoech (second
right) adjusts her face mask in their tea farm in Besiobei Village,
Konoin, Bomet County on April 29, 2020. PHOTO | DENNIS LUBANGA | NATION
MEDIA GROUP
She is now focusing on next season as she seeks to
break the world record in the distance, and to win a gold medal in 2020
Olympic Games which have been postponed to next year.
Japan-based
Rodgers Kwemoi is now concentrating on maize farming in Furfural
village in Matunda, Uasin Gishu County after failing to travel back to
Japan.
The 2016 World Under-20 champion in 10,000m has
been working and at the same time training in Japan but he couldn’t go
back due to the virus where he is signed up by Asian Corporate team in
Japan. He told Nation Sport that he is now concentrating on maize farming as he waits for things to come back to normal.
“I’m
now busy spraying pesticides on maize in my farm. As athletes we depend
on running and we feel wasted because the whole season has now gone to
waste,” said Kwemoi.
World 3000 metres steeplechase record holder Beatrice Chepkoech (second
right) and her family members plucking tea leaves at their farm in
Besiobei Village, Konoin, Bomet County on April 29, 2020. She has been
training individually following government’s directive on social
distancing in a bid to contain the spread of coronavirus. PHOTO | DENNIS
LUBANGA | NATION MEDIA GROUP
He is keen to represent Kenya at the Olympics after coming in fourth place at the Doha World Championships last year.
World
Under-20 10,000m champion Rhonex Kipruto is also busy planting trees in
Kimamet village in Kamwosor, Elgeyo Marakwet County.
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