Habari za Wiki - 15 June, 2021
From The Enda Community
Paige Waggoner put on her pair of Lapatets and headed out for an #EndaTreeRun. It’s a simple gesture, and now there will be a new tree growing thanks to her.
There are still two weeks left to put on your pair and post your #EndaTreeRun and challenge some friends to do the same.
The Running News
Kenyan Olympic Trials This Week
This Thursday through Saturday Kasarani Stadium in Nairobi will host the Kenyan Olympic trials.
More than 300 athletes have been invited to take part and take a shot at stepping onto the world stage. Mixing it up with the home crowd will be a group of Ugandan and South Sudanese athletes, who have been invited to take part and help elevate the competition even more.
We should see some of the world’s best challenging each other, as the first two across the line in any race will be booking their tickets to Tokyo. We’re looking forward to sharing highlights and results next week!
Florence Diamond League
The biggest race of the Florence Diamond League this weekend was the 1500m showdown between Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands, fresh off setting the 10,000m record, and Faith Kipyegon, the reigning 1500m Olympic champion.
It’s well worth checking out this highlight reel to watch the final 80 meters of the race. Faith kicks hard, but Hassan somehow manages to find just a few extra meters to nab with win. Hopefully we can look for Faith to reverse fortune on the big stage later this year.
Mary 'Kisii Express' Moraa Gets Olympic Qualification
While there is a lot of depth among Kenyan men at the 800m, the women’s side hasn’t been as strong lately. Mary Moraa is a ray of hope here. She has a world U-18 silver medal in the 400m, but has moved up to focus on 800m.
This past weekend she secured the Olympic qualifying standard racing in Sollentuna, Sweden. Oh, and happy birthday Mary. 21 years old today, and a bright career ahead!
The three other Kenyan women with the qualifying standard are Eunice Sum, Emily Cherotich, and Faith Kipyegon.
Kigen Chemadi Wins NCAA Steeplechase
It’s been a while since we had any outstanding NCAA finishes. However, with a P.B of 8:28:20, Kenya’s Kigen Chemadi recorded the fastest NCAA time this season to win the Men’s 3000m NCAA steeplechase. In his speed game, Kigen also recorded the fastest two laps of the race since the beginning of the season.
Minnesota’s Alec Basten finished second place and was closely followed by Ryan Smeeton from Oklhoma state. Catch the full action here.
Non-Kenyan News
Letesenbet Gidey Sets 10,000m Record
Remember the name: Letesenbet (Le-tes-en-bet) Gidey. She already had the record for the 5000m, and on 8 June she grabbed the record for the 10,000m as well.
To make the story even more incredible, she did it just 2 days after Sifan Hassan had set the record on the exact same track in the Netherlands. Gidey’s new record of 29:01:03 is massively impressive, but does leave us with a lingering feeling that someone is going to push hard to get into the 28 minute zone soon.
You can watch Gidey’s stunning performance here.
Houlihan Banned
The US record holder at 1500m and 5000m, Shelby Houlihan, is facing a 4 year doping ban after testing positive for nandrolone, a steroid. She maintains her innocence, saying it comes from a burrito she ate. Running twitter has taken up arms on both sides with people defending her, and others noting the tainted meat is an old excuse that’s been widely documented for decades, so any professional athlete should know and easily avoid.