Is The New IAAF DL Format Wiping Kenyan Runners Out Of The Spotlight?

17th June 2019 - by Mutwiri Mutuota

One can argue that they are being systematically being airbrushed from the face of the sport and relegated to the back-burner

Kenya's Nelly Jepkosgei runs to win the women 1000m race at the Memorial Van Damme athletics meeting, last stage of the IAAF Diamond League, at the King Baudouin stadium (Boudewijnstadion/ Stade Roi Baudouin) in Brussels, Friday 06 September 2013. PHOTO/AFP

SUMMARY

Under the leadership of Sebastian Coe, the body that will soon be renamed World Athletics is burning the midnight oil to market the sport in the face of dwindling revenues following the explosive doping scandal that brought athletics to its knees in 2015
In the absence of South Africa superstar Caster Semenya who declined an invite from the meet organisers as the fallout from the IAAF gender rules continues, Jepkosgei deserved a bigger mention for her victory as opposed to being relegated to a footnote
With eight legs of the 2019 DL to go, it is difficult to see how the new format is building African stars in the sport

NAIROBI, Kenya- The changing scene of global athletics is slowly but surely turning Kenyan distance running stars from headline to support acts as the latest stop of the IAAF Diamond League in Rabat, Morocco on Sunday showed.

Under the leadership of Sebastian Coe, the body that will soon be renamed World Athletics is burning the midnight oil to market the sport in the face of dwindling revenues following the explosive doping scandal that brought athletics to its knees in 2015.

Since then, the prominence of Kenyan and indeed East Africa distance runners who are the most hit by the doping scourge and one can argue that they are being systematically being airbrushed from the face of the sport and relegated to the back-burner.

Since it was launched over a decade ago, (2009) Kenyan athletes have occupied a starring role in any Diamond League meet but in Rabat for example, only Nelly Jepkosgei (1:59.50) won an event that counted for points in the Diamond Race when she topped the women 800m.

In the absence of South Africa superstar Caster Semenya who declined an invite from the meet organisers as the fallout from the IAAF gender rules continues, Jepkosgei deserved a bigger mention for her victory as opposed to being relegated to a footnote.

It continues a worrying trend for the proud distance running nation in this year's edition of the 14-meet global track and field circuit replaced its forerunner the IAAF Golden League that had six events in its calendar.

World Under 20 champion, Edward Zakayo Pingua and Vincent Kibet won the men 5000m and 1500m races but they were only promotional events of the Meeting International Mohammed VI D'Athletisme in Morocco.

In the events that counted, Emmanuel Korir (1:45.60) lost out to Botswana star, Nijel Amos in the final sprint for the men 800m honours whilst Benjamin Kigen (8:07.25) who was forced to accept third in the men 3000m steeplechase were the only other Kenyans in the podium.

It is startling that even the country's athletes are no longer dominating the men 3000m steeple that is referred to as 'Kenya's Race' anymore. Ethiopian pair, Getnet Wale (8:06.01) and Chala Beyo (8:06.48) completed the 1-2 ahead of Kigen, the man who has been holding fort with Olympic and world champion, Conseslus Kipruto out injured.

Official previews

What is in no doubt is the concerted effort to promote runners from Europe, the Americas and Asia as the flag bearers with even official previews, race reports and features on the IAAF website increasingly going for competitors from those regions in a bid to get a bigger share of the global spending in the billion dollar sports industry.

Gone are the days the likes of David Rudisha, Asbel Kiprop or even Vivian Cheruiyot used to be the poster boys and girls of the Diamond League.

Now we have Karsten Warholm (400 Hurdles/Norway), Caterine Ibarguen (Triple jump/Columbia) and the Ingebrigtsen mid distance running brothers of Jakob and Henrick of Norway etc being used to market the races to a wider world.

To further tuck the East African influence in the sport in the back-burner, the IAAF announced before the start of the 2019 DL season that the competition format had changed in what was widely seen as an attempt to 'kill' distance running.

The furore forced Coe to react, setting a meeting with Athletics Kenya (AK) president, Lt. Gen (Rtd) Jackson Tuwei in the sidelines of the 2018 IAAF World Gala in Monaco last December where he 'reassured the proposed changes will not disadvantage African athletes'.

Six meetings later, even performances such as the world leading 3:55.47 produced by Ethiopian track queen, Genzebe Dibaba, are not being given the spotlight they enjoyed in days gone by, being buried deep into official race reports headlines by the exploits of Bogdan Bondarenko (Ukraine) in the men's High jump or Jamaica’s Fedrick Dacres in the men's Discus where the latter also threw a 2019 best mark.

There was no mention of the fact that Pingua (13:11.49) and Kibet (3:35.80) won since by taking part in promotional races, their performances were not watched by a global television audience, denying them a platform to sell themselves as brands.

Leading athletes

“We believe that ultimately these changes will be beneficial not only to Kenyan and East African distance runners, but to our leading athletes around the globe, because it will result in a stronger, higher-profile, commercially-successful annual showcase series for our sport,” Coe told Tuwei last December but on current evidence, the opposite effect where Kenyan runners are slowly sinking into oblivion is happening.

The doping scourge that has continued to hit the country almost every passing day has not helped the situation with the Athletics Integrity Unit announcing almost on a daily basis that a Kenyan runner is either facing a notice of charge or suspended from competition.

According to the IAAF's official reason, the DL format was tweaked to give increased competitiveness since 'market research showed that producing a series that consistently featured the best athletes competing against each other was a key factor in improving the appeal of the Diamond League for broadcasters and fans.'

The governing body further explained they had consulted 'coaches and agents' who reported back their athletes were 'unlikely to run six races over that distance during the Diamond League series' noting that in 2018, only no leading athlete ran more than two 5000m races in the DL.

“I am satisfied that our athletes will receive sufficient opportunities to compete internationally in 2020 and I am reassured by the IAAF’s undertaking that the impact of these decisions will be considered again at the end of each season and Member Federations consulted about any changes that might be needed,” Tuwei reported back to Coe.

With eight legs of the 2019 DL to go, it is difficult to see how the new format is building African stars in the sport.

Meeting International Mohammed VI D'Athletisme de Rabat Results

Rabat (Prince Moulay Abdellah), 16/06/2019

Men's results

200 Metres - Men - Diamond Discipline Wind: -0.5 m/s

Pts

1 De Grasse , Andre CAN 20.19 8

2 Guliyev , Ramil TUR 20.28 7

3 Quiñónez , Alex ECU 20.30 6

4 Bednarek , Kenneth USA 20.51 5

5 Munyai , Clarence RSA 20.63 4

6 Reid , Leon IRL 20.88 3

7 Baloyes , Bernardo COL 20.91 2

8 Takordmioui , Mehdi MAR 21.13 1

800 Metres - Men - Diamond Discipline

Pts

1 Amos , Nijel BOT 1:45.57 8

2 Korir , Emmanuel Kipkurui KEN 1:45.60 7

3 Murphy , Clayton USA 1:45.99 6

4 Rotich , Ferguson Cheruiyot KEN 1:46.38 5

5 De Arriba , Álvaro ESP 1:46.64 4

6 Kramer , Andreas SWE 1:46.75 3

7 Kitilit , Jonathan KEN 1:46.78 2

8 Smaili , Mostafa MAR 1:47.47 1

9 Learmonth , Guy GBR 1:47.51

Martínez , Saúl ESP DNF

1500 Metres - Men - Promotional Event

1 Kibet , Vincent KEN 3:35.80

2 Akankam , Hicham MAR 3:35.85

3 Miellet , Alexis FRA 3:35.98

4 Mechaal , Adel ESP 3:36.21

5 McSweyn , Stewart AUS 3:36.30

6 Kaazouzi , Brahim MAR 3:36.67

7 Kibet , Michael KEN 3:36.71

8 Ouladha , Hicham MAR 3:37.05

9 Kiprono , Brimin KEN 3:37.20

10 Lemi , Teddese ETH 3:37.40

11 Crippa , Yemaneberhan ITA 3:37.81

12 El Kaam , Fouad MAR 3:38.13

13 Gregson , Ryan AUS 3:39.04

Akbache , Mounir FRA DNF

Debjani , Ismael BEL DNF

Tiouali , Mohammed Ayoub BRN DNF

5000 Metres - Men - Promotional Event

1 Pingua , Edward Zakayo KEN 13:11.49

2 Berihu , Solomon ETH 13:16.08

3 Bouqantar , Soufiyan MAR 13:17.26

4 Ibrahim , Bouh DJI 13:17.54

5 Iguider , Abdelaati MAR 13:17.74

6 El Otmani , Said ITA 13:19.30

7 Al Amri , Tariq Ahmed KSA 13:19.70

8 Kifle , Yohans ERI 13:27.06

9 Gashahun , Abe ETH 13:29.49

10 Outalha , Mouhcine MAR 13:35.33

11 Birhan , Melesse ETH 13:44.08

12 Chekwurui , Mathew Job UGA 13:44.53

Essalhi , Younéss MAR DNF

Hassaus , Nassim ESP DNF

Lamdassem , Ayad ESP DNF

Saddedine , Alexandre FRA DNF

3000 Metres Steeplechase - Men - Diamond Discipline

Pts

1 Wale , Getnet ETH 8:06.01 8

2 Beyo , Chala ETH 8:06.48 7

3 Kigen , Benjamin KEN 8:07.25 6

4 Bett , Leonard Kipkemoi KEN 8:09.27 5

5 Bor , Hillary USA 8:12.08 4

6 Tindouft , Mohamed MAR 8:12.89 3

7 Kibiwot , Abraham KEN 8:17.25 2

8 Bedrani , Djilali FRA 8:18.44 1

9 Kebenei , Stanley Kipkoech USA 8:21.25

10 Bett , Nicholas Kiptanui KEN 8:24.69

11 El Bakkali , Soufiane MAR 8:27.56

Arce , Daniel ESP DNF

Bayer , Andrew USA DNF

Kipsang , Lawrence Kemboi KEN DNF

Sigueni , Hicham MAR DNF

110 Metres Hurdles - Men - Diamond Discipline Wind: +0.3 m/s

Pts

1 Shubenkov , Sergey ANA 13.12 8

2 Pozzi , Andrew GBR 13.30 7

3 Constantino , Gabriel BRA 13.41 6

4 Belocian , Wilhem FRA 13.43 5

5 McLeod , Omar JAM 13.48 4

6 Alkana , Antonio RSA 13.51 3

7 Trajkovic , Milan CYP 13.53 2

8 Santos Rodrigues , Eduardo BRA 13.58 1

9 Manga , Aurel FRA 13.88

High Jump - Men - Diamond Discipline

Pts

1 Bondarenko , Bohdan UKR 2.28 8

2 Tobe , Naoto JPN 2.28 7

3 Ivanyuk , Ilya ANA 2.28 6

4 Sawe , Mathew KEN 2.28 5

5 Starc , Brandon AUS 2.25 4

6 Protsenko , Andriy UKR 2.22 3

7 Baker , Chris GBR 2.19 2

8 Tamberi , Gianmarco ITA 2.19 1

9 Bednarek , Sylwester POL 2.15

10 Thomas , Donald BAH 2.15

Long Jump - Men - Diamond Discipline

Pts Wind

1 Echevarría , Juan Miguel CUB 8.34 8 0.0

2 Manyonga , Luvo RSA 8.21 7 -0.4

3 Samaai , Ruswahl RSA 8.16 6 -0.1

4 Cáceres , Eusebio ESP 7.80 5 -0.5

5 Berrabah , Yahya MAR 7.76 4 -0.6

6 Khoua , Mouhcine MAR 7.64 3 -0.1

7 Heinle , Fabian GER 7.56 2 +0.7

8 Visser , Zarck RSA 7.52 1 0.0

9 Smith , Tyrone BER 7.49 -0.4

10 Henderson , Jeff USA 6.10 +0.2

Kacimi , Marouane MAR NM NWI

Discus Throw - Men - Diamond Discipline

Pts

1 Ståhl , Daniel SWE 69.94 8

2 Dacres , Fedrick JAM 69.50 7

3 Weisshaidinger , Lukas AUT 68.14 6

4 Malachowski , Piotr POL 66.58 5

5 Wierig , Martin GER 64.65 4

6 Jagers III , Reggie USA 64.59 3

7 Gudžius , Andrius LTU 64.37 2

8 Hogan , Victor RSA 62.98 1

9 Stunes Isene , Ola NOR 61.43

10 Harting , Christoph GER 61.02

Women's results

100 Metres - Women - Diamond Discipline Wind: -0.6 m/s

Pts

1 Okagbare , Blessing NGR 11.05 8

2 Ta Lou , Marie-Josée CIV 11.09 7

3 Emmanuel , Crystal CAN 11.30 6

4 Ombissa-Dzangue , Orlann FRA 11.32 5

5 Schippers , Dafne NED 11.32 4

6 Lückenkemper , Gina GER 11.36 3

7 Rosa , Vitoria Cristina BRA 11.38 2

8 Samuel , Jamile NED 11.40 1

9 Brisco , Mikiah USA 11.47

400 Metres - Women - Diamond Discipline

Pts

1 Naser , Salwa Eid BRN 50.13 8

2 Seyni , Aminatou NIG 50.24 7

3 Botlogetswe , Christine BOT 50.48 6

4 Francis , Phyllis USA 50.76 5

5 Stepter , Jaide USA 51.44 4

6 de Witte , Lisanne NED 51.53 3

7 Ellis , Kendall USA 51.82 2

8 Ghafoor , Madiea NED 52.92 1

800 Metres - Women - Diamond Discipline

Pts

1 Jepkosgei , Nelly KEN 1:59.50 8

2 Alemu , Habitam ETH 1:59.90 7

3 Lyakhova , Olha UKR 2:00.35 6

4 Sharp , Lynsey GBR 2:00.61 5

5 Nakaayi , Halimah UGA 2:00.91 4

6 Brown , Ce'Aira USA 2:01.19 3

7 Tuei , Emily Cherotich KEN 2:01.67 2

8 Akkaoui , Malika MAR 2:01.87 1

9 Büchel , Selina SUI 2:02.20

Yarigo , Noélie BEN DNF

1500 Metres - Women - Diamond Discipline

Pts

1 Dibaba , Genzebe ETH 3:55.47 8

2 Hassan , Sifan NED 3:55.93 7

3 Tsegay , Gudaf ETH 3:57.40 6

4 Arafi , Rababe MAR 3:58.84 5

5 Embaye , Axumawit ETH 3:59.02 4

6 Nanyondo , Winnie UGA 3:59.56 3

7 Simpson , Jenny USA 3:59.83 2

8 DeBues-Stafford , Gabriela CAN 4:00.46 1

9 McColgan , Eilish GBR 4:00.97

10 McDonald , Sarah GBR 4:01.50

11 Hailu , Lemlem ETH 4:02.97

12 Hilali , Siham MAR 4:05.80

13 Chebet , Winny KEN 4:13.31

14 Kiplangat , Josephine Chelangat KEN 4:16.17

Guerrero , Esther ESP DNF

Ivanova , Ilona BLR DNF

Pole Vault - Women - Diamond Discipline

Pts

1 Morris , Sandi USA 4.82 8

2 Sidorova , Anzhelika ANA 4.77 7

3 Nageotte , Katie USA 4.67 6

4 Stefanidi , Katerina GRE 4.67 5

5 Peinado , Robeilys VEN 4.67 4

6 Silva , Yarisley CUB 4.67 3

7 Newman , Alysha CAN 4.67 2

8 Xu , Huiqin CHN 4.57 1

9 Bradshaw , Holly GBR 4.57

Kiriakopoulou , Nikoleta GRE NM

Discus Throw - Women - Diamond Discipline

Pts

1 Pérez , Yaimé CUB 68.28 8

2 Caballero , Denia CUB 65.94 7

3 Perkovic , Sandra CRO 64.77 6

4 Allman , Valarie USA 64.58 5

5 Müller , Nadine GER 64.01 4

6 de Morais , Andressa BRA 63.12 3

7 Pudenz , Kristin GER 62.82 2

8 Martins , Fernanda BRA 62.51 1

9 Vita , Claudine GER 60.59

10 Robert-Michon , Mélina FRA 59.24