National pride is what drove us to break records, says Bayi

Dar es Salaam. The former middle distance of 1970’s, Filbert Bayi has said that his 1974’s 1500m Commonwealth Games record has to-date remained unbroken because of lack of determination among current local runners.

Bayi, who was born in 1963 and is among of the greatest runners of all times said that unlike in the past, some of the current local runners have no determination to excel internationally despite being capable to do that.

“During our hey-days, we ran for the national pride, nevertheless there was very little money for rewards,”

‘We ran for the national pride, the reason why we managed to win medals and break record against competent Englishmen,”, he said.

“But despite all the current modern resources and money prizes as motivation, still the local runners fail to make headlines in major events like Olympic and Commonwealth Games,” he said.

Bayi, who is the Tanzania Olympic Committee (TOC) secretary general, is to-date still the 1500 m Commonwealth Games record holder despite hanging his shoes in the 1980’s.

His greatest moment was arguably the 1500 m final at the 1974 Commonwealth Games in Christchurch, New Zealand, when he won the gold medal ahead of New Zealand runner John Walker and Kenyan Ben Jipcho.

Bayi set a new world record of 3 min 32.16 s, ratified by the IAAF as 3:32.2, and Walker went under the old world record set by Jim Ryun as well.

Bayi, who has won one of the two country’s only Olympic Games’ medals since the country started taking part in the games in 1960’s has severally been challenging local runners for the excellence as the county has severally been failing to win medals in major events including this year’s All Africa Games held in Congo Brazzaville.

Other events held in recent years include the Commonwealth Games held in 2014 in Glasgow, Scotland and also in Olympic Games in London in 2012 to be just mere participants without even a single medal.

As the next Olympic Games takes place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil next year, only two marathoners Alphonce Felix and Said Makula have qualified for the summer games.