Sports
Tirop Death Lifts Lid On Female Athletes’ Woes
The tragic killing of Olympian Agnes Tirop yesterday casts a dark shadow on the safety of Kenya’s female athletes in their marriages and relationships, high ranking Athletics Kenya (AK) officials have said.
Tirop’s lifeless body, riddled with stab wounds, was found in her house in Iten, Elgeyo Marakwet county in suspected homicide.
Tirop, 25, was part of the triumphant Kenyan contingent to this year’s delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics where she represented the country in the 5,000m race and finished 4th in the final.
Yesterday, grieving AK Athlete’s Representative Milka Chemos and women Committee member Elizabeth Keitany said “a majority of Kenya’s female athletes are in abusive relationships, but afraid of coming out.”
“They are endangered species,” Keitany, the AK women Committee member, said. “The challenge is they won’t speak up out of fear. Some of them got into relations out of genuine love but in reality they don’t know what they get into,” Keitany said.
“We always get reports of quite a number of them in abusive marriages, but they don’t open up,” Keitany said.
Chemos, the World champion in 3000m steeplechase, and now athlete’s representative, said they spoke with Tirop as recent as Monday afternoon. “We spoke about many things, little did I know tragedy was on her way,” Chemos said.
“There are several athletes among them top athletes that I know, who are in abusive relations but they lack the courage to go public about it,” she said.
“AK has been planning for a seminar for the female athletes, a forum where we hope they would open up on their relationships. We need to rally behind the female athletes because, honestly there is a lot most of them are going through,” Chemos said.
Keitany and Chemos called on the female athletes to stop suffering in silence.
“Once an athlete is in a relationship, there is nothing we or even the government can do about it. However, they should be alive to the dangers of staying in abusive relationships,” Keitany said.
“Perhaps the only help we can seek now from government is to facilitate seminars for the female athletes where they can learn some life skills and how to react in situations that otherwise lead to bigger problems later,” Keitany said.
President Uhuru Kenya described the killing of Tirop as, “Unsettling, utterly unfortunate and very sad.”
“We’ve lost a young and promising athlete who, at a young age of 25 years, she had brought our country so much glory through her exploits on the global athletics stage including in this year’s 2020 Tokyo Olympics where she was part of the Kenyan team in Japan,” the President eulogised.
Dennis Ombachi, popular rugby player and chef has set tongues wagging after sharing a snippet of his toddler son showcasing that he can float on water and swim to safety.
Ombachi took to his Instagram page to share a video throwing the little boy into the water, leaving many in shock.
In the short video, the rugby player lifted his son up, kissed him, then he tossed him into a swimming pool by the leg.
“Four weeks since we started water safety classes and my son graduated today, officially water safe!” Ombachi gushed on Twitter about his son’s abilities.
Once in the water, the baby boy quickly gets himself to a floating position and kicks his feet moving forward steadily. It appears that he can get himself out of a pool and even keep his head up to breathe after having been taught the life skill early on.
Following the child’s accomplishment, Ombachi said that he is a “proud father”
“Proud of you my naughty boy, you’re finally Water Safe, less worries for us when you are out of our sight having successfully completed your water safety class. Happy graduation day,” he wrote on Instagram.
Since his early Monday morning post, the self-taught chef has been trending on Twitter, with over 5000 tweets being made about him, with netizens sharing mixed reactions.
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Athletics Kenya (AK) is impressed with the progress made by inferior athletes at the ongoing vacation camp.
The camps are aimed at preparing athletes for the World Under-20 tournament in Cali, Colombia.
AK President Jack Tuwei who was speaking in Kapsumbeiywo All4Running youth camp which is headed by former world
800m champion Janeth Jepkosgei, said he was impressed by the turnout of the youth in colorful camps.
“We have 26 camps across the country and we are happy because they are training well thanks to the government who have helped in funding them. As a federation we shall do our part and make sure we get some of the best from these camps,” Tuwei said.
Kenya will be seeking to retain the title for the younger team for the third time in a row in the tournament set for August after winning in Tampere, Finland in 2018 and again last time in Nairobi.
AK youth head trainer Robert Ngiserei said the early medication will enable the country to present a strong platoon across the all events.
“At the Youth Sub Committee, we have embraced this program as it will help us improve more on the development of talent which will ensure our country remains as an athletics powerhouse,” Ngiserei said.
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