Habari za Wiki - 1 Sept, 2020
Faith Eyes a Faaaast Brussels, as Brigid ‘Debuts’ on Track
In Monaco 1500m Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon missed the 1000m world record by just 17 hundredths of a second, that was VEEEERY close. Now this Friday 4th, Faith will be lining up to attempt to break the 24 year-old record of 2:28.98 held by Russian Svetlana Masterkova. Guess where Svetlana broke the record? Brussels, where Faith will be lining up at the AG Memorial Van Damme, a diamond league exhibition event.
Some more Brussels exciting news is that we will finally watch marathon world record holder Brigid Kosgei compete on the track. We have never seen her compete on the track (have you?). Brigid has been included in the one hour world record attempt which Sifan Hassan is also chasing. This will be Brigid’s first track competition, a new challenge indeed, one month to London Marathon. They’ve both shown they can run faster than that record on the roads, so we should expect the record to fall when they take it to the track.
Mo Farah will also attack the Haile Gebrselassie’s men’s one-hour mark of 21,285km mark. Mo, who will be returning to the track after about 3 years on the road has promised a good showcase in Brussels.
The AG Memorial Van Damme will be held behind closed doors. But check it out on SuperSport from 20.00EAT across Sub Saharan Africa. Eurosport across Europe and NBC Sports in the US. Also check out the official Diamond League live stream on Facebook/YouTube
Before Brussels happens, Ferguson Rotich will be lining up in 800m at the Stade Delort in Marseille on Thursday 3rd for the World Athletics continental bronze tour. That one will be live on World Athletics YouTube channel.
Conse is Fine, Just Needs a Steeple
3000m steeplechase Olympic and world champion Conseslus Kipruto missed the Monaco Diamond League due to testing positive for Covid 19. He is back on track in training with the hope that one diamond league organizer will add steeplechase on their list of events so that he is able to compete in one of the remaining few diamond league events. This is because 3000m steeplechase is no longer a key event of the Diamond league meetings and it’s at the discretion of organizers.
2021: Last Chance for YouTube Man
They call him Yego, Julius Yego is without doubt the most successful Kenyan and African javelin thrower. From YouTube learner to world beater, Yego’s story is such an inspiration. In 2016, he won the silver at Rio Olympics with just 3 throws then picked an injury, he became the only African to ever win the javelin medal at the Olympic Games. Yego believes next year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo is the last chance for him to win an Olympic gold medal and we think he can deliver.
Expert Pacing
Pacing is a key component in athletics, a well-paced race makes the challenge a bit easier for the main athlete. And as the world waits for the Kipchoge vs Bekele contest on 4 October, Victor Chuma is training to deliver some good pacing. Chumo, who is Eliud and Bekele’s team mate at NN Running, covers 30km daily in preparation for the charged race in London. Chumo paced for Eliud in the Breaking 2 attempt and for the Ineos 1:59 challenge. Does having familiar pacers give Eliud the edge in the race?
Double Distance in Doha
Doha Diamond League on the 25th September will be the fourth and last meeting of 2020 season. Athletics' biggest superstars will compete in over 12 different disciplines, the newly added women's 3000m race will be one of them. These will give athletes like Hellen Obiri and Beatrice Chepkoech another chance to compete. And that’s exciting.
The women’s 3000m event will replace the women's 1500m. Organizers believe the move will give long distance specialists another chance to compete in a season in which such opportunities have been few and far between.
Non-Kenyan News
Bolt, Party After Party Leads to a Positive Covid 19
Usain Bolt enjoys a good life, deservingly so, he has earned it. Bolt loves to party and party and it is not a surprise at all that the Jamaican retired sprinter held a party on his 34th birthday in Jamaica. The consequence of that was a positive test Covid 19 after the festivities. The Jamaican Prime Minister says the matter will be investigated. It’s just not the time for parties or risks like that. Stay safe folks.
London is sold out! But You Can Join for Charity
Nearly 45,000 people signed up to run the 2020 Virgin Money London Marathon and now the #The40thRace is now officially sold out! However, if you still want to run, find a list of charities who still have places here.
Asylum Seeker to Marathon Winner in Finland
Cameroonian Eric Mbacha won the 2020 Helsinki Marathon with a time of 2:24:40. He is normally a mountain running specialist, winning the Mount Cameroon race of Hope three times. But, Eric fled to Finland after receiving death threats from separatist fighters after the 2019 Mt. Cameroon race. We’re all cheering for you Eric, and wish you well.
Celebs at Virtual New York Marathon
The 2020 Virtual TCS New York City Marathon will feature top professional athletes and celebrities, one of them retired marathon runner American Olympic medalist and former New York City Marathon champion Meb Keflezighi. Meb will team up with tennis star and philanthropist James Blake. And since we all love to run, why not sign up here. It’s your chance to get a NY Marathon medal without a plane ticket.
From Us At Enda
It’s one of the most important times of the year for us at Enda: time for our annual Enda Community Survey.
We want to keep getting better, and listening to you helps us understand how we can best serve you and everyone else in the years to come.
Can you help us out by taking a few minutes to take this year’s survey? To say thanks for giving us your input, we’ll give you $10 or KSh 1000 off your next order.
Take the Survey
In past years, the survey has resulted in us making our shoes larger, guided the design of the Lapatet, and pushed us to focus more on reducing our environmental impact (we’re now Climate Neutral certified). So this really does help. Thanks for your time!
From the Enda Community
Antonio Vencesla posted a super stylish picture wearing his Itens. And we love his moto "Adventure may hurt you but monotony will kill you".
Get your own pair of Itens right here: