 Welcome back. This is the touch line on why to perform Banado Kumu. And on to our first segment of the interviews here, we're talking about a group of events that consist of competitive running, throwing, jumping, and walking. And that's Athletics, none other than John Vaseline, an Athletics reporter that I've engaged with and met out there in the field for the last, must have been now nine years, close to nine years. That's the first time I started seeing him. And don't ask me why I was the first one to see him. I've been around. Don't Vaseline, Karibusana. I'm Santesana. How are you? Great. I'm doing good. Great to have you. Thank you very much. We speak about what's on menu here. It's all about, you know, the interest I said about running, jumping, throwing, and also walking. Athletics, you know, and Kenyan calendar. Athletics calendar really starting off with a lot of fireworks and promising. Let's talk about some of the earliest events that we've seen and what really they give us a picture of what we should expect in either international events or just local series, you know. And maybe let's build on that and talk about the AK meet, you know, weekend meet, which I think the second one was at the Ulizi complex. Ulizi complex, yes. That's in early in January. In January. Yes, and the third one happened at Nyaya National Stadium. Yes, yes, yes. And I remember when we were covering the one at Nyaya at Ulizi complex, they were, you know, we asked Barnabas Korir, the AK youth development director. Yes. And also the Nairobi chairman for the association. He said that we put a task to him to explain how the records that will be set or the records that will be registered at Nyaya at Ulizi complex whether they will be ratified because of most of the equipment, right timing equipments are at Nyaya and he said that was a major issue and they were like, they hoped that the event will be returned to Nyaya National Stadium. So it was really interesting or really encouraging to see that the third meet was at Nyaya National Stadium, right? Very, very true. You know, literally Ulizi sports complex doesn't meet the standards of world athletics championships because even the creators of that pitch, they consulted well but they are technical issues that they never handled. For instance, I just give one example so I don't want to go into a lot of issues. When you look at the track actually, they track the lens where they run at least. They are not as per the standards that are supposed to be. They are linear lens and there are those that are standard so it's a mixed up. So there is no record that can be ratified on such a ground. That's why the government had to be forced to come back to Nyaya standard because Nyaya standard is a standardized stadium that an athlete can compete. And it's measured at technicality and everything on the technical level it has measured by world athletics. It's ratified, even the wind because of the, as you mentioned, the equipments that are used to measure those because for somebody like Omanyala, you know, there are races that are assisted by the wind. There are races that the wind forces you to fall back. So all those have to be put into place. If Omanyala breaks a record, they look at the wind. Was it negative, was it positive? You see, if he was being helped by the wind, it wouldn't be ratified. But if he went against the wind, definitely. Or if there was no wind, again definitely the record will be recognized. So we are happy that we are back at Nyaya. Nyaya is everything. We hope that Kasaran is down, now completely down. So we hope that it will be back because that is the fastest track that we have in Africa. Even you see the invested, they invited, at least officially, invite them to come and participate in this country. They love that track because it pushes you. Shelyan, she loves this. Fred Kali loves this. Brad, they love this track because they know time is always there. Yo, and talking about Shelya, I think we'll mention about that rocket. You know, the mummy rocket. The rocket, yes. We'll mention that, but let's again, the AK, of course, the third meet did really impressive. I saw Bako Omanyala, I saw one, we need to talk about now the return of what is Mako Tieno. Mako is Bak and we hope that because Mako and Omanyala, they gave us something. Those people, when they are two, they are on the track. They push each other to the wall and we expect good desert, good timing. It never happened for them to meet this time round, but I know they are going to meet in the coming trials. Mentally, how is he? He is Bako strong, he's Bako strong and he's keeping it positive. He's just hoping that he gets an opportunity. Mako, he'll be going to the Olympics because this time is good. Yes, currently he's in France, of course. Yes, he's in France at competing. Yes, that's interesting. Of course, we also did see some records tumbling, you know, Nusra. Nusra, Nusra, she's good. We pray that consistency, you know. She's been around, you know. She's been around, but you know what? Nusra needs somebody who will handle her in a personal level or on a personal level. What do you mean? Training is how you attack the hurdle. That is the main issue with running. You see, these two races, the hurdles are 110 hurdles, a 400 meter hurdle and a steeper chest. They need experience. You need somebody who will help you to attack the hurdle because it's a faster race and it needs total concentration. You need to concentrate, you need to see actually where you're heading to. So if somebody or he could get somebody, just I'm not trying to rubbish or talk bad about the coaches that are handling her, but she needs somebody more who will take her to the next level because where she is now, she's competing here nationally, trashing and beating everyone and crashing records, but we need now that next level that somebody will take her to up something so that it's only about attacking the hurdles. That's the only issue that Nusra has. And maybe she can benefit from the training of other hardlers, you know, like Kwaisman Were. Really been exposed to quality training right now. Like Kwaisman, again, is the same issue. Kwaisman is good here. When Kwaisman goes out, you see the performance where it is, Kwaisman is people that can push and pull him. The same way we are talking about Makotieno and Omanyala. Mak needs Omanyala, Omanyala needs Mak for them to push and we'll see records tumbling here. That's what I'm promising you. Records will tumbling here. Wait for them to meet in the 100 meter. Although Omanyala is now trying also to for endurance purposes or for speed, let me say, for him it's endurance and speed because he's not a road person. So he's trying 400. He ran 400 at Wulinsi, you remember. Then recently at the weekend he did 200. Good time for him again. Personal best actually. So he's trying to do those so that he can get endurance for 100. He dipped under 19? Yes, no, no, no, no. He dipped 20, 20, 20. 19 is still far. He's still from that. That's what I see. The top for the top. There are people for that. They know a lot. Yeah, the likes of that. But one thing we appreciate with Omanyala is now. You see he has changed his training ground. He changed the coaching staffs. He somewhere now you won't hear. You usually don't hear of Omanyala videos running here and there. They have really guarded now him. The people who came on board now have told him. Now listen, don't preempt. Don't talk big then. We took a ground it off out. You get it. So now he's actually he he. This is not boxy. Yes, this is not boxy. This is not those people they talk. You know with running you never lie about running. They put you on the track then they put on the watch. On your max. Let's go. Go when the time comes. Yes indeed. So I mean the AK meet of course this all serves to the athletes gaining time for the various champions that are forthcoming but more importantly all the eyes are on Olympics for most of the athletes competing. That's the importance of this meet. The fourth one, where will it be? Every dream of every athlete or every runner is to be at that level. It's just like the world cup. Every footibola wants to be at that level of world cup because it carries a lot of things. Endosments you see even finishing among the top 10 even one athletics themselves when they describe it they will tell you this man finished among top 10 top athletes. You see it carries a lot of it and that is the premium anything. That's why Kipchoge. He wants to go and do a history and this one don't be surprised it might be a project. I don't want to play me to what I'm thinking but I'm seeing a project a night project coming in for Elwood for that record to come in because he will be the only person who has gone three times in the marathon in history of running and they want to focus and to concentrate and give him everything that is needed so that he can fully concentrate on achieving that goal. It will be a milestone in the running history. I mean we're talking about a night project and also that the same will apply to Faith Kipyegun on the cusp of history as well. Also going for history. Don't be surprised. Faith will be going for three races this time round. She's going to 800 which now Mary Mora has to to to overwork because faith is a beast right now. She's at the level that she's at the best level that anyone has ever been and Mark you know she's the most medal athlete in Africa. Faith. In Kenya she's the leading medal at least in Kenya. Nobody has ever medaled as faith and she's going to do 5,000 which Ethiopians are really working on it on how they can take it but for now that one is an off. They won't be near that and then her usual race of 1500. Yes indeed. And of course let's talk about the Sirikwa Daniel Ebenyusimiu Wow, explosive young man. Very explosive. This young man is smiling like a smiling machine. He's ever happy. He ran a tactical race because I was on the ground. The course this round wasn't that the hard course, we called it hard course. They tried to soften the course because we didn't have some alteration here. Yes, they did to soften it because of injuries. The thing is this the calendar is heavy. The calendar is so squeezed that's why we find the African championship they are taking names that even we don't know. Names that you might if you have not been that circle of athletics you wouldn't hear because we have major project. We have now we are talking about again we have trials that are coming for African games which are going to happen in March. We have the Africa cross country. We have relay team. We have world window. We have Olympics. So it's crowded and after that we have the diamonds. You see as they say the entry is full. So this Rikuwa did leave up to its building of course. On the women's side it lived to its building. We found a new catch and we are praying that Africa cross country championship can also be leveraged or used for you to get what to go for another 5k or to run for 5k. So I think what the athletes or AK is doing is they want to use immaculate Nyango for the world cross country championship so that she can get the qualifying time to take her to the Olympics. What's her background from? Is she coming from nowhere? No, no, no, no. This young girl has been around. She has been around. I've known a Maklef for the last 5 years. She has been running low key races but she wasn't that. And also she has been at the AK meets but the timing or the finishing wasn't good time that she can be picked. But she is consistent. Coaches that have been behind her? Oh, they are 10. She is best in 10. And I think there is a camp right now that has taken over her and she is partnering. Actually they are running together with Agnes if I'm not Agnes Shibed, the world 10 kilometer. You saw how she pulled her to even break the previous record. Nyango broke the previous record. She is the second fastest woman in the world over the 10k distance. So this is a girl and then Maku, she is still young, only 23 years actually now. So the future for her is so big and when I saw how she was handling the course at Sirikwa she was good, taking it easy. She wanted somebody who could push her but nobody was there to push her because of her consistency, her maintaining how she was running with the strides, her efficiency and the endurance. Running cross country is all about endurance. You want to endure because there is no speed, speed is found on the track. But the future for this young girl is so bright and something good will come out of. Yes, and of course that one takes us to the Africa cross country team that was named by AK and all this event is happening later this month. That's on 25th in Tunisia. Key names in both the men's and the women's 10 kilometer senior race but we can begin with the lady Sandra Phyllis. She is a regular champion. Right now actually she is going to run her first marathon. She has now gone completely on the road. She, because Sandra there are things that I only want to mention on national TV station but Sandra took a lot of her time when she was at her prime running the junior races. So it has really affected her progression. You see because I have followed this lead for the last eight years. I have her history in my hands. I have known her capabilities. There was a time that Sandra was her beast on the track but because of taking too long in the junior category it has really affected her progress into the senior category. That's why we don't hear Sandra in between. We only hear of the records that she has the silver and the bronze on the junior level but when you come to the senior level Sandra Phyllis is not there. Now she has gone into the half but I know here she is going to perform. She was number six at Sirikwa Cross Country which really put her to push for Africa title or to be on the podium. Also the list has Cynthia Chepngene. Cynthia Chepngene, a very young lady again. They are coming, actually these are upcoming people and I think AK is using this for exposure. She has run, she was in Paris. I think she won the 10k in Paris last year and this year she has run. I think she was number two if I'm not wrong. So something good out of this. She is coming, an upcoming person of interest or a person to watch. Yes and the men's team, Naibe Kiplimo, Naibe is credentials. Naibe is especially in 10k. She is doing actually the 11 races that I have seen him participated. The worst place that he was was position six but all the other races he has been on the podium. So we are hoping for a medal from him. Yes indeed and of course those are ladies Kenya did name the under 20 women team and also the under 20 men, those are the juniors. And the six runners are peace who will be heading to Tunisia and also of course the senior men, senior women and the team will be led by Paul Mutui who is the technical leader for that particular team. And of course the championship is on 25th of this month in Hamamet. That's the town in Tunisia. We wish the Kenyan cross country team to the Africa Championship all the bets. There also be the, let's talk about the fourth event here which is the World Indoor. You know, really interesting that to find that names that have ever meddled here they come in far and within, far from within. And the last woman to win a medal here was Obiri. Yes, yes, yes. This time we are talking about how that can be rewritten having another Kenyan again meddling. But let's talk about Ferdinand Omanyala and how he's be leading this particular team to the World Indoor in Glasgow. India is going to be a very, very hard event especially on Omanyala because on two fronts Mirama Saiso Omanyala running. He ran the first six, five, four then he came and ran six, five, two over the 60 meter distance. Yes, that's a new national record. That's a new national record. Then when we go to the other side you'll find these two men, Ferdinand Kali and Noah Lines they were again, the following weekend they were running again. Actually not after three days they were participating in a race and then you'll find that they are qualifying Mark who was even below the national record of Ferdinand Omanyala, six point five, two. And then you'll find that in the finals again Noah Lines ran six, four, four. So you'll be surprised. This is a technical race. One thing is the courses for this they are amazing courses. It's like an oval pitch. It's not the normal pitch that we shall have. Sometimes you'll find a pitch that is bent a little bit. With Indo it's very fun. You'll find even a hundred meters in Indos. They are not the usual, the ones we usually see. The stretch. No, it's at the middle of the track. So it's a technical and then for injuries most people avoid Indos because of injuries because of those sharp bends. It will have to hit a wall. Have to hit a wall again when you are running because it's a short course. So it's a technical course and then it lends your full concentration. So I'm praying that Omanyala be on the podium. But the names that are coming again, they are not easy names. Yes, I'm coming. And for the fact that he did begin his season so well that as you've mentioned in Nami Ramas during the early trades, setting a new national record, writing of the previous one by a few seconds means that he is in need, he's really picked his own season on. Yes, he's angry, he's calm now. He's composed. He's not the Omanyala that we saw because you saw he topped too big and then the performance it really affected him. I think it's normal. Yeah, it's normal. So it's me doing it and you want me to tell you how I do it? Yeah, I'll tell you. Before he learned that you have to keep quiet and only talk when you have to talk. Yeah, you have to watch what he said because what you tell us as journalists the young men though. We will exactly write and then after that the story is different. And people will hammer you for that. They will, you gave promises. You repeated, you gave promises. So it's going to be a good dress but I'm praying that again, one thing I know at the World Indo Games Omanyala again will lower the national record because it's going to meet with who over the 60 years. Watch out for that one and also what mentioning is that he'll be heading before the World Indo Championship of course the World Indo Championship is on 1st to 3rd of March. That's in Glasgow, Scotland but Omanyala will be competing in another race that's in Pari Indo meeting on February 14th. That's on Valentine's Day before heading for the World Indo. And also that particular team has no incubate in the 800 meters, the 1500 meters and also the 800 meters men. There will be, Kolinski Puto will be representing the Kenyan team there. The trials are for Africa Athletics Championship in Cameroon. What should you expect here? Africa Championship really... Actually the trials are over the coming weekend then it will be on March from 8, I think. It's from March where is it, 8.23. It's like a two weeks event. So we hope that Africa, for Kenya in Africa we will take the medals. We'll top up the medal, we'll take everything. The only thing we will not have in our past as we come back home is field events. But any other event, we will top them, we'll crush them. We'll crush itopians, they'll know us. Yes, talking points from this particular session, of course. Don Vaslin predicting that Omanyala will be setting a new national record over the distance, 60 meters distance, that's at the World Indo. Key events coming up, of course, the World Africa Cross Country Championship on 25th of February, that's in Hamama, Tunisia and also the World Indo Championship that's in Glasgow in March. Key events that are coming up. But of course thank you so much John Vaslin. Pleasure. For making your time and us just delving into athletics. So of course for the track and field I believe that next weekend or coming weekends we'll be talking more and delving much more into what's making helens in athletics. Thank you so much. Anytime, thank you very much. Yes indeed, keep watching Touchland. Let's take a short break, we'll be right back.