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Contact: Pat Butcher
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Kosgei Looks Ahead
singapore, sunday, december 3, 15.00gmt
Salina Kosgei lifts a thumb and forefinger, with a couple centimetres, or
less than an inch between the two digits. "I was that close to a bronze
medal," she says with a smile. That was in the 1994 Commonwealth Games 800
metres in Edmonton, Canada, where her then fiancé, Barnabus Kinyor did win
a bronze for Kenya, in the 400 metres hurdles. But in the early nineties,
after marriage and first child, Billy, now ten, a combination of a leg
injury and a stomach ailment ended Barnabus' career, with impressive
figures of 48.58 for his speciality, and 1.44.95 for 800 metres.
Salina, just 30, on the other hand can afford to smile, because, after that
pause to have Billy, and then later, Ruth, aged four, her career has gone
from strength to strength. "I couldn't get races as an 800 metres runner
(despite a best of 2.01), so we decided that I should start running long
distance. I saw what people like Ndereba and Chepkemei were doing, so I
began with cross country in '99, and two years later, did 10,000 metres".
From just missing out on Commonwealth bronze, she went to "easily winning,"
in her own words, the 10,000 metres in Manchester 2002. Another pause to
have Ruth, and she went the full distance, ie started running marathons.
"I didn't run so well in the 10,000 metres at the World Championships in
Paris (2003), so that's when I decided to run the marathon". Having
finished eighth on the track the previous summer, she took the City of
Light by storm in Spring 2004, when she returned to win the Paris Marathon
in a startling debut time of 2.24.32.
She followed that with a win in Prague the following year, and then
finished fourth in New York last Autumn. Any chances of a top spot in
London this year evaporated when she slipped and fell when taking a drink
after just five kilometres.
"I hurt my leg quite badly, then used a lot of energy catching up with the
leading group. My leg was really hurting, the cold got to it, I think, and
after 21k, I couldn't hold on. I jogged 21k, but I still did 2.28," she
says with much justification.
That reverse was put right in Berlin three months ago. She couldn't cope
with race favourite, Geta Wami of Ethiopia, but she was a clear second in
the German capital, with a personal best of 2.23.22.
Another marathon before the end of the year, especially in Singapore, with
its reputation for heat and humidity might seem like overcooking it. But
she agreed to join a team formed by her training partners, Irene Jerotich,
who won in Nairobi, and Rita Jeptoo, who plans to run the next leg, in Hong
Kong in the New Year. She says she is tired, and will have a three weeks
rest, but the way she waltzed round the Standard Chartered Singapore
Marathon, in 25C heat and high humidity, ripping nearly three minutes off
the course record, with 2.31.55, suggest that there is plenty in reserve.
"They said it was cooler than normal, but it didn't feel like it at 25k,"
she says. "But it felt easy today. I only ran because of my friends, and I
didn't want to strain to do a good time, it's too hot anyway". Yet she
looked the freshest person on the famous Padang in the centre of Singapore,
as she posed for photos after the race with Barnabus, Billy and Ruth. And
the way she is strolling around the hotel foyer prior to our post-race chat
just three hours after the race, you'd think she'd been doing nothing more
strenuous than shopping in the celebrated Singapore malls.
Kosgei comes from a family of nine, from Keiyo province, in Marakwet. She
now lives and trains in Eldoret, hometown of Kipchoge Keino, the godfather
of Kenyan distance running, and a town which probably boasts a higher
number of Olympic gold medallists than southern California. Both she and
Barnabus are members of the Kenyan Prison Service, but whereas he is on
active service in Katamanga, 120k away – they travel back and forth each
weekend – she, like most successful Kenyan runners, holds a nominal post of
Inspector.
The couple also own a small farm of ten hectares near Eldoret, but this
latest windfall, $25,000 for the Singapore victory will probably go on
property rather than augmenting her small herd of cows. "I don't need more
cows. I think maybe we'll buy some property to rent," she says.
She's happy, after consultation to leave training schedules to former
Kenyan marathoner, Amos Korir – "it varies from week to week, depending how
I feel, he always asks me" – and race management to Gianni de Madonna. Next
outing is a toss-up between London again or Rotterdam next Spring. She is
nothing if not pragmatic. "it depends who offers the most start-money".
Kosgei doesn't see a term to her career yet, but she would like to plug a
career gap, and run in the Olympic Games. "I'm not too interested in the
World Championships, but I would like to run in Beijing". Given that the
conditions in the Chinese capital in August 2008 are likely to be similar
to Singapore this last weekend, Kosgei may not be far off the ultimate
prize in athletics.
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